Electrodeposition of Conducting Polymers on Copper in Nonaqueous Media by Corrosion Inhibition

This study demonstrates the direct anodic electrodeposition of polypyrrole (PPy), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), and polythiophene (PTh) on Cu electrodes by employing a corrosion inhibitor, succinonitrile (SN). SN was found to suppress anodic Cu dissolution beyond the oxidation potential of the polymer monomers. It is also revealed that the Cu surface passivated by SN is still adequately conductive to allow the redox reaction of 1,4-difluoro-2,5-dimethoxybenzene (FMB) and the oxidation of the polymer monomers. Through both cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic techniques, PPy, PEDOT, and PTh films were successfully synthesized on Cu electrodes in the presence of SN, and the redox behaviors of the films were evaluated.