Structural Investigations of Composites Produced from Copper and Polypyrrole with a Dual PVD/PE‐CVD Process

Copper–polypyrrole composites were successfully produced with a dual plasma process. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR) were used to characterise the structural properties. Topological and electrochemical investigations were also performed using atomic force and scanning electron microscopy (AFM, SEM) as well as cyclic voltammetry (CV) respectively. The results show that different composites were produced. When a low power was used, copper atoms bound to aromatic polymer structures were formed. Indications for the formation of electroactive copper–polypyrrole complexes are presented. Using higher power values, copper(I)oxide (ca. 3 nm) and copper nanoparticles (5–40 nm) embedded in a polymeric matrix were produced. Pulsing of the magnetron resulted in a modification of the chemical bonds within the samples. magnified image