Polypyrrole incorporating electroless nickel

The electroless deposition of Ni-P (phosphorus content about 20 at.%) into polypyrrole (PPy) film is described and conditions for achieving good dispe rsions of small particles discussed. The influence of the loading level/par ticle size on the electrocatalytic properties of these new electrodes is il lustrated by the study of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The useful ness of electrochemical treatments, not only in overcoming the loss of cata lyst at anodic potentials but also in promoting the formation of a catalyti c nickel oxide phase is demonstrated. The performance towards nitrite ion o xidation reveals that electroless deposition on conductive polymers can be envisaged as an attractive method for the fabrication of good electrocataly tic materials-with application in a wide range of potentials. (C) 2000 Else vier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.