Formation of thermally stable polypyrrole-naphthalene/benzene sulfonate-carbon fiber composites by an electrochemical process

High volume fraction of polypyrrole coatings doped with aromatic naphthalene-1,5-disulfonic acid disodium salt (NDSDNa) and benzene sulfonic acid sodium salt (BzSNa), respectively, have been formed on carbon fibers. Polypyrrole coatings as high as 390% (∼80% by weight) was formed on carbon fibers after about 45 min of electropolymerization. Fourier transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), of the coatings confirmed that the resulting polypyrrole coatings were doped with benzene sulfonate and naphthalene disulfonate ions, respectively. Thermal analysis shows char retention of the polypyrrole coatings to be ≥65%, indicating that the electropolymerized polypyrrole coatings have excellent thermal stability and are good candidates for use in carbon–carbon composites.