Interfacing Conjugated Polymers with Magnetic Nanowires

Abstract

A variety of new multisegmented nanowires based on magnetic metals and conjugated polymers, polypyrrole (PPy) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), were synthesized by an all-electrochemical template method for precise control over segment lengths. To overcome the major problem occurring when performing direct electrodeposition of PPy or PEDOT on active metals, such as nickel, the concomitant metal oxidation and redissolution at the positive potentials required for polymer formation, we developed a two-step chemical process. Prior to electropolymerization, the Ni surface was pretreated with 3-(pyrrol-1-yl) propanoic acid. This strategy allowed the improvement of the polymer adhesion, resulting in the formation of mechanically robust Ni/conjugated polymer interfaces. By this way, we successfully prepared various original trisegmented nanostructures, such as systems containing one magnetic segment, Ni-PPy-Pt and Ni-PEDOT-Au nanowires, and systems containing two different magnetic metals, Ni-PPy-Co and Ni-PEDOT-Co nanowires. All these one-dimensional multicomponent nanostructures present both fundamental interest and potential applications in nanoelectronics and in biomedical field.

Controlled Synthesis and Energy Applications of One‐Dimensional Conducting Polymer Nanostructures: An Overview

“…In addition, by controlling the spatial composition of nanowires, the hard‐template approach can be applied to the controlled synthesis of segmented nanowires along their axis. Two‐segmented Ni‐PPy, Au‐PANI, CdS‐PPy and CdS‐PTh nanowires,44, 45, 47, 48 trisegmented Ni‐PPy‐Pd, Au‐PPy‐Au, Ni‐Au‐PANI, Ni‐PEDOT‐Au, Au‐PEDOT‐Au nanowires,45, 47, 49, 50, and tetra‐segmented Au‐PEDOT‐PPy‐Au nanowires50 were all successfully realized, which showed multi‐functional properties including good conductivities, good charge‐transport abilities, and attractive optoelectronic characteristics. All of these highly refined, unusual, anisotropic structures of conducting polymer hybrids or composites with improved performance demonstrate a powerful compositional control at 1D nanoscale level using the hard‐template strategy.…”

Highly Versatile Approach for Preparing Functional Hybrid Multisegmented Nanotubes and Nanowires

“…Nanorods and nanotubes consisting of segments of different materials that can either perform specific functions or selectively interact with specific ligands have emerged as a new class of advanced one-dimensional (1D) nanomaterials. − The multisegmented architecture of the nanostructures, along with the ability to vary the block length and the aspect ratio, can indeed lead to nanomaterials presenting a wide range of chemical, physical and biochemical properties that are useful in many applications such as nanoelectronics, (bio)chemical sensing, and drug delivery devices. ,− The engineering and fabrication of such hybrid nanostructures have therefore received significant attention over the past few years, but there are still relatively few examples of methods for synthesizing multicomponent 1D materials made from both organic and inorganic materials. So far, sequential electrodeposition within the nanopores of a template, either track-etched polycarbonate (PC) or alumina membranes, remains the predominant methods used to synthesize multicomponent nanowires or nanorods. − ,,, On one hand, the membrane provides cylindrical, uniform, well-defined pores, and on the other hand, the electrochemical method provides an excellent control over the architectural parameters (block length and morphology) of the resulting structures but imposes severe limitations on the range of materials that can be processed since only conducting materials (metals, inorganic semiconductors, and conducting polymers) can be deposited. ,,− On the other hand, the membrane-templated layer-by-layer adsorption technique, based on the alternate deposition of complementary species such as oppositely charged polyelectrolytes within the pores of a template, has been shown to be an experimentally simple but powerful method to integrate many various functional materials, such as synthetic or biological macromolecules, dyes, and nanoparticles into nanotubes and nanowires. − In this contribution, we report on a versatile way of synthesizing and assembling hybrid multisegmented functional nanostructures of higher complexity (Scheme ). The membrane-templated method is combined with electrodeposition and layer-by-layer (LbL) techniques to sequentially synthesize bisegmented and trisegmented nanostructures composed of metals, polymers, synthetic and biological polyelectrolytes and colloids.…”

Using the Hard Templating Method for the Synthesis of Metal‐Conducting Polymer Multi‐Segmented Nanowires

“…For instance, we very recently successfully apply this strategy for preparing robust magnetic metal/CP nanowires. [79] In this specific case, a major problem to overcome is to suppress or limit the active metal re-dissolution at the oxidative potential required for the electrodeposition of the CP. Our approach for passivating the metal without impeding electropolymerization consists in the use of a SAM of bifunctional molecules that can specifically interact with the magnetic metallic segment and the growing CP, respectively (Figure 4b).…”

“…Based on the two-step process illustrated in Figure 4b, we successfully prepared various original tri-segmented nanostructures, such as systems containing one magnetic segment, Ni-PPy-Pt and Ni-PEDOT-Au nanowires and systems containing two different magnetic metals, NiPPy-Co and Ni-PEDOT-Co nanowires with very short polymer junctions (Figure 8). [79] While the presence of a single magnetic stripe in the 1D nanostructures may facilitate their positioning onto an electronic devices, the fully magnetic multi-segmented nanowires with a CP junction is a suitable configuration for fundamental investigations in organic spintronics. [80][81][82] Transport Properties of Conducting Polymer in Multi-Segmented M-CP Nanowires…”