Facile synthesis of electroactive polypyrrole-chitosan composite nanospheres with controllable diameters

Polypyrrole-chitosan composite (PCC) nanospheres with uniform diameters have been synthesized by in situ chemical oxidation polymerization of pyrrole in chitosan aqueous solution. The influences of synthetic parameters, such as the concentrations of chitosan and pyrrole, and types of oxidants on the diameters and molecular structures of the PCC nanospheres have been investigated. It is found that the diameters of the PCC nanospheres can be controlled by adjusting the concentrations of chitosan and pyrrole. Chitosan is absorbed on/in polypyrrole nanospheres to form the PCC nanospheres. The resulting PCC nanospheres preserve both the electroactivity of polypyrrole and the biocompatibility and bioactivity of chitosan, and may have potential biomedical applications such as in biosensors and in the controlled release of drugs. (C) 2010 Society of Chemical Industry