An Electrochemical and Optical Investigation of Polypyrrole/Polyethyleneoxide Latex Particles

Abstract

Submicronic polypyrrole/polyethylene‐oxide (PPy/PEO) latex particles have been produced using PEO as the steric stabilizer and either or as the oxidizing agent for pyrrole. Scanning electron micrographs show that the two types of PPy/PEO latex particles are of approximately the same size. From electrochemical and optical characterization (UV‐vis spectra) of these particles, it was found that these latex particles can be electrochemically oxidized and reduced in an electrolyte of acetonitrile with . The electrochemical and optical measurements indicate that the latex particles formed when using as the oxidizing agent are more easily switched than the particles which are the result of applying as the oxidizing agent.