Radiation and storage-induced ageing of polypyrrole doped with dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid

The effects of storage and exposure to X-rays on the surface chemistry of electrochemically prepared polypyrrole (PPy) doped with dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) were investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). For irradiation, different photon sources (lab source and synchrotron radiation) and energies (1.4–9 keV) were chosen. This covers an energy range of relevance for many X-ray based investigations (e.g. XPS or X-ray absorption spectroscopy) of PPy[DBSA], PPy–metal interfaces, and transition metals embedded into PPy. The DBSA doping level and the concentration ratio of sulfonate species are discussed as a function of storage and irradiation times, and links between both ageing parameters are given. New sulfur species are found to emerge upon repeated soft X-ray irradiation. Severe changes in the polaron/bipolaron structure of PPy[DBSA] during exposure to high energy (several keV) synchrotron radiation are observed, and the results are discussed in the light of photon absorption and photoelectron generation in the polymer surface