A Highway for Nanostructure Polypyrrole Formation - Dye - assisted Synthesis with Methylene Orange as Effective Structure Guiding Agent

Electroactive polypyrrole is widely used in diverse directions with application ability strongly dependent on the morphology of the material. In the current work we studied material derived by chemical method based on the template methodology with methyl orange (MO) as a structure guiding agent. We focused on the low content of the dye to trace its templating ability. Spectroscopic characteristics confirmed the successful polymerization while the presence of dye diminished the conjugation length in the group of MO-based polymers. Surface morphology of material dependent firmly on the amount of the supplied dye - increasing content of the dye provoked a decrease in the diameter of the forming tubes accompanied by a mutual increase in their number. Roentgenographic analysis allowed to detect the presence of two phases within the material of amorphous and crystalline nature. The organization provoked by the presence of MO was confirmed with the changes in the parameters like the increase in d-value of inter-planar spacing and the interchain separation length. At the same time, the action of dye led to an increase in the total degree of crystallinity. The results provide clear direction that the templating ability of MO is confirmed even at a low concentration of dye still, its impact on the properties of the material is complex.