Polymerization of pyrrole by isopolymetallates of vanadium/molybdenum and preparation of a polypyrrole–molybdenum blues nanocomposite

Oxidative polymerization of pyrrole (PY) was achieved in high yield (>90 %) by adding the monomer directly to isopolyvanadate (IPV) and isopolymolybdate (IPMo) solutions at selected pH. In the case of the IPV solution instantaneous precipitation of a black mass was obtained while in the IPMo solution in situ precipitation of polypyrrole (PPY) onto molybdenum blues (MB) formed through reduction of IPMo by PY resulting in a PPY‐encapsulated MB nanocomposite (PPY–MB). Formation of PPY was confirmed from Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) and thermogravimetric (TG) analyses. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) photographs for the composite revealed the formation of spherical particles of average size ≈75 nm. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses showed the distinctive morphological patterns for PPY and PPY–MB composite. The direct current conductivity values for PPY prepared by IPV, IPMo and PPY–MB were of the order of 10 −2 , 10 −4 and 10 −6 S cm −1 , respectively. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry