Experimental investigations of semi-crystalline plasma polymerized polypyrrole for surface coating
- Progress in Organic Coatings, 69(4), p.396-401, 2010 .
Plasma polymerized thin film of conducting polypyrrole were deposited at room temperature by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition method using pyrrole monomer as precursor. The radio frequency (RF: 13.56 MHz, power supply: 30 W)was applied at constant argon gas pressure for the formation of plasma. The as grown thin films of polypyrrole have been characterized by ellipsometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-vis spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD)and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). UV-vis spectra showed the optical energy band gap of 2.3 eV. XRD pattern of plasma polymerized polypyrrole has revealed a clear peak at inter-planer separation of 0.687 nm. It was also noticed by HRTEM analysis that the distinguished reflection at d = 0.687 nm has a broadening effect that may be correlated with the crystallinity of the material.