Fabrication of electrically conducting polypyrrole-poly(ethylene oxide) composite nanofibers

Electrically conducting polypyrrole-poly(ethylene oxide) (PPy-PEO) composite nanofibers are fabricated via a two-step process. First, FeCl3-containing PEO nanofibers are produced by electrospinning. Second, the PEO-FeCl3 electrospun fibers are exposed to pyrrole vapor for the synthesis of polypyrrole. The vapor phase polymerization occurs through the diffusion of pyrrole monomer into the nanofibers. The collected non-woven fiber mat is composed of 96 +/- 30 mu diameter PPy-PEO nanofibers. FT-IR, XPS, and conductivity measurements confirm polypyrrole synthesis in the nanofiber.