Preparation of Polypyrrole/Poly(methyl methacrylate) Core-Shell Nanoparticles in Four-Component Microemulsion Media

Electrically conductive polypyrrole (PPy)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) core-shell nanoparticles were synthesized by two-step microemulsion polymerization. PPy core particles were prepared in a four-component microemulsion system, which was formed with surfactant cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), cosurfactant n-pentanol, water, and pyrrole. Ferric chloride and iodine was added as the oxidant and the dopant, respectively. Then the PPy nanoparticles were coated with PMMA to prepare PPy/PMMA core-shell nanoparticles. The morphology of PPy/PMMA core-shell nanoparticles was characterized with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to characterize the structure of the samples. The electrical conductivities of samples were studied by a Hall effect testing instrument. Despite being coated with a layer of insulation, the conductivity of the composite PPy/PMMA core-shell nanoparticles could still reached to 7.856 × 10^?1 S/cm.