Abstract
Conducting polymer nanostructures such as nanofibers and nanotubes have potential uses in a variety of applications including electronic and photonic devices and sensors. Conducting polymers have also been used as artificial muscles. In this work, template synthesis method for fabricating solid polypyrrole nanowires and polypyrrole-gold nanowire heterostructures is demonstrated to explore suitability of these structures as nano-artificial muscles or nanoactuators. Polypyrrole nanowires are evaluated in an aqueous electrolyte to see if they retain the ability to expand and contract under electrochemical cycling. Template synthesis is then used to alternatively electroplate gold and electropolymerize polypyrrole in the pores of an alumina membrane to create layered polypyrrole-gold nanowires.
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Berdichevsky, Y., Lo, YH. Fabrication and Evaluation of Conducting Polymer Nanowire Heterostructures. MRS Online Proceedings Library 872, 134 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-872-J13.4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-872-J13.4