Selective Templated Growth of Polypyrrole Strands on Lipid Tubule Edges

The synthesis of polymers (particularly conducting polymers) in confined areas and volumes is of great interest as a strategy in microstructure and nanostructure fabrication. Our interest is oriented toward the formation of new morphologies created by preferential surface templating. In this report, we describe the polymerization of pyrrole (py) in the presence of diacetylenic phospholipid tubules. These tubules, much studied by Schnur, Yager, and co-workers, 1 are ∼500 nm wide and several micrometers long. Ppy growth is templated specifically on the edges/seams of the tubule and not on its walls. An unusual long strand morphology (10−100 nm wide and micrometers long) results. Attempts to alter the balance between template (i.e., edged-localized) polymerization and solution polymerization reveals that the propensity for template polymerization is overwhelmingly large. The properties of the Ppy thus obtained, and possible templating mechanisms are discussed.