Optical properties of Ag@polypyrrole nanoparticles calculated by Mie theory

The unique optical properties of Ag@polypyrrole composite nanoparticles were systematically investigated in theory and experiment for the first time. On the basis of the classical Mie theory, the extinction, absorption, and scattering efficiencies of the Ag@polypyrrole nanoparticles were theoretically calculated. In addition, their theoretical UV-vis extinction spectra were plotted and compared with the corresponding experimental results. For Ag@polypyrrole nanoparticles, the influence of the microstructure factors, including Ag core size, the thickness and oxidation degree of the polypyrrole shell, and homogeneity of the particle size and shape, on the optical properties of the composite nanoparticle were qualitatively analyzed and discussed in detail. The understanding to the optical properties of Ag@polypyrrole composite nanoparticles could help us to control either parameters in order to design the optimal functional composite particles and to match the practical applications in common or special.