Simultaneous immobilization of cobalt tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine during electropolymerization of pyrrole in presence of surfactants: a study of film morphology and its conductivity

An attempt was made to electrochemically immobilize tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine (CoTsPc) into polypyrrole in presence of three types of surfactants (cationic, anionic, and neutral) during the polymerization of pyrrole in an aqueous solution with different potential regions. The surface characteristics of anodically/cathodically prepared electrodes with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and Triton X-100 were investigated using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements. The SEM and XPS measurements revealed the position and orientation of CoTsPc and surfactant, respectively, in the prepared films. The film conductivity was deduced from AC impedance and its conductivity values were found to be very low when compared to the literature results. The decrease of film conductivity in presence of the surfactant and CoTsPc could be associated with the fewer amounts of counter ions in the film and also the absence of conjugation for electron hopping within the film.