A conducting composite of polypyrrole with ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene foam

Through a chemical polymerization of pyrrole inside ultrahigh molecular wei ght polyethylene (UHMWPE) foam, a conducting polymer composite was obtained . To produce conductive polymer foams, successive imbibiting of reactives, FeCl3 and pyrrole in tetrahydrofuran solutions, were carried out. The condu ctive polymeric materials were characterized by FTIR, DSC, and SEM. Mechani cal property measurements were carried out on the films prepared by the com pression molding of the conductive foam polymers. These films showed rather high tensile strength compared to pure UHMWPE. Conductivity determined by a two-probe technique showed that it increased with the pyrrole content in the UHMWPE foam matrix. The compression molding, however, resulted in a con siderable reduction in the conductivities. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 72: 1843-1850, 1999.