Synthesis and characterization of a new polypyrrole based on N-vinyl pyrrole

A novel polymer constituted of N-substituted pyrrole was synthesized by chemical oxidative polymerization from N-vinylpyrrole monomer. The structure of the resulting polymer was characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR and element analysis. The results indicated that the polymer was comprised of two chains, i.e. α-coupled polypyrrole and polyethylene, and the two chains were found to have the same average degree of polymerization. The investigation of the solubility showed that the polymer was soluble in common organic solvents and could be cast into thin films from a chloroform solution. Interestingly, the polymer displayed strong optical absorption in the visible region and exhibited photoluminescence as determined by UV–vis and fluorescence spectrum analysis.