Polypyrrole nanofibers synthesized via reactive template approach and their NH3 gas sensitivity

The synthesis of polypyrrole (PPy) nanofibers has been achieved via a simple reactive template approach. The reactive template of FeCl3 and methyl orange (MO) leads to the formation of uniform PPy nanofibers. Moreover, the fabrication of PPy nanofibers with high yield is realized, suggesting that this methodology is appropriate for the large-scale production of the corresponding nanomaterials. In contrast to the NH3 gas sensor based on bulk PPy, the gas sensor based on the as-prepared PPy nanofibers exhibits greatly improved performances. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.