Tailoring the Conductivity
of Polypyrrole Films Using
Low-Energy Platinum Ion Implantation
- Publication date
- Publisher
Abstract
Low-energy platinum ions were implanted with 15 keV under
normal
incidence into synthesized conducting polymer films with the aim to
improve film conductivity and to demonstrate the use of implanted
platinum in a simple sensing design. Conductivity measurements, cyclic
voltammetry, and Raman spectroscopy were performed on samples both
before and following ion implantation. Results display an optimum
fluence of ion implantation for which polypyrrole films implanted
with 2 × 10<sup>16</sup> at. cm<sup>–2</sup> display and
retain enhanced conductivity compared with nonimplanted samples. X-ray
photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscope–energy-dispersive
X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) confirmed that implanted platinum is
present mainly as Pt<sup>0</sup> and indicated that the depth and
amount of ion implantation are in agreement with a simulated implantation
profile. Raman spectroscopy showed a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
(SERS) effect with platinum’s presence. The advantageous increase
in conductivity can be rationalized by two chemical modifications
to the polymer upon high-fluence implantation: (1) an increase in
the number of charge carriers (dications) within the polymer and (2)
the presence of elemental platinum metal and its synergistic effect
on conductivity. A simple DNA sensor was constructed on the basis
of polypyrrole/Pt<sup>0</sup> films where Pt<sup>0</sup> was able
to serve as anchoring points for DNA attachment as well as an enhancer
of the film’s conductivity. This enabled a DNA sensor capable
of successful detection of cDNA, and a good discrimination of noncDNA,
thus opening a way to direct electrochemical biosensing on the basis
of ion implanted highly conducting polymer films