Synthesis of microcellular polypyrrole in a unidirectional freeze-dried polystyrene template and the conversion to microcellular carbon via morphology-retaining carbonization

•Microcellular polypyrrole (PPy) was synthesized using a freeze-dried polystyrene template.•Microcellular PPy exhibited bamboo-like honeycombed channel structure similar to the template.•Microcellular carbon material was prepared by iodine doped microcellular PPy.

The facile fabrication of polypyrrole (PPy) foams via vapor phase polymerization using microcellular polystyrene, prepared by unidirectional freeze-drying, as a template was demonstrated. Remarkably, the PPy foams maintained the porous morphology of the template, which exhibited a bamboo-like honeycomb channel structure. In addition, the PPy foams were carbonized at 800 °C with iodine doping and the carbon products showed similar morphologies to that of the precursor. The carbon foams were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and XRD analysis and were confirmed to be amorphous carbon with a nitrogen content of about 7%.

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