Thermal and structural characterization of polypyrrole by direct-insertion probe pyrolysis mass spectrometry

There have been extensive studies on structural characterization of conducting polypyrrole, PPY using various techniques. The two proposed structures are the aromatic form corresponding to the undoped state and the quinoid form corresponding to the doped state. However, actual structure appears to be more complicated and the relationship between the dopant used and the structure was not totally clarified. In this study direct insertion probe pyrolysis mass spectrometry technique was applied to monitor thermal decomposition products of polypyrrole which may further be used for structural elucidation. Three different dopants namely, p-toluene sulfonate, tetrafluoroborate and dodecyl sulfate were used in the synthesis of polypyrrole to investigate the effect of dopant on thermal stability and structure