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Poly(3,4-Ethylenedioxypyrrole) enwrapped by reduced graphene oxide: How conduction behavior at nanolevel leads to increased electrochemical activity
B.N. Reddy, , A.G. Joshi, A.K. Srivastava
Published in
2011
Volume: 115
   
Issue: 37
Pages: 18354 - 18365
Abstract
Composite films of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxypyrrole) (PEDOP) enwrapped by reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and flanked by an ionic liquid (IL: dialkyl substituted imidazolium imide) have been synthesized. To study the effect of functionalized RGO on the polymer, the structure, conduction properties, and redox chemistry of the PEDOP-RGO/IL composite films have been compared with that of the control PEDOP-IL film, doped only by the ionic liquid imide anion. Evidence for the successful inclusion of RGO/IL in PEDOP was obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy, in the form of modified C1s signals, new signals due to nitrogen and sulfur, and also the revelation of a quasi-hexagonal assembly of atoms in the RGO/IL nanosheets. Conductive-atomic force microscopy revealed the role of RGO/IL in completely modifying the charge carrying ability of PEDOP, as unusually high current values and a largely uniform current distribution were achieved in the PEDOP-RGO/IL composite in contrast to control PEDOP-IL. Point contact I-V profiles showed that the population of insulating domains flanking the conducting polymer grains is drastically reduced on replacing the IL dopant with RGO/IL in PEDOP. A reduced Fermi edge to valence band gap, an exemplary electrochromic coloring efficiency of 477 cm2 C-1 (γmax = 509 nm), a 2-fold increment in dc electronic conductivity, improved switching kinetics, an amplified charge insertion-extraction capacity, as opposed to the case for control film, mirrored the role of RGO/IL in controlling the charge transport dynamics of PEDOP. The results show that the entrapping of a conducting polymer by RGO based nanostructures affords tunable redox, electronic and optical properties, thus providing a paradigm for mapping the current distribution in similar nanocomposites. © 2011 American Chemical Society.
About the journal
JournalJournal of Physical Chemistry C
ISSN19327447