Cyclic voltammetry of electrodeposition of metal on electrosynthesized polypyrrole film

Abstract

Electrodeposition of various engineering metals on a platinum electrode with and without an electrosynthesized polypyrrole film was studied by cyclic voltammetry. Copper, nickel, lead, tin, and silver were readily deposited. The presence of a polypyrrole film generally reduces the plating rate and shifts the deposition peak potential to a more negative value. A capacitive effect is usually observed with the first scan which is subsequently dissipated due to the shunting effect of the metal deposit in the pores of the polypyrrole film. Inhibition of hydrogen evolution is found to be relatively more significant with electronegative metals such as nickel and tin, resulting in higher metal deposition current efficiency. This study shows that metal can be readily deposited on conductive polypyrrole both on its surface and within its pores, therefore providing a convenient method for producing metal-polymer-metal multilayer composites and metal-modified polymer electrodes for specific applications.