%0 Journal Article
%A Meinhardt, Alexander
%A Lakner, Pirmin
%A Huber, Patrick
%A Keller, Thomas F.
%T Mapping the nanoscale elastic property modulations of polypyrrole thin films in liquid electrolyte with EC-AFM
%J Nanoscale advances
%V 6
%N 1
%@ 2516-0230
%C Cambridge
%I Royal Society of Chemistry
%M PUBDB-2023-07279
%P 102 - 110
%D 2023
%X Linking structure to mechanical and elastic properties is a major concern for the development of novelelectroactive materials. This work reports on the potential-induced changes in thickness and Youngmodulus of a substrate supported, perchlorate doped polypyrrole thin film (<100 nm) investigated withelectrochemical atomic force microscopy (AFM) under in situ conditions. This was accomplished bynanomechanical mapping of potentiodynamically electropolymerized polypyrrole film in electrolytesolution with AFM during redox cycling. The polypyrrole film thickness and Young modulus follow theelectrical potential nearly linearly, increasing due to solvent and ion influx as the film is oxidized, anddecreasing during reduction. Our measurements also confirm the presence of a potential-independent,passive swelling which is accompanied by softening of the film, likely caused by osmotic effects.Additionally, the heterogeneous distribution of the Young modulus can be directly traced to the typicalnodular surface topography of polypyrrole, with the top of the nodular area possessing lower modulus,thus highlighting the complex relationship between topography and elastic properties.
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)16
%9 Journal Article
%$ 38125599
%U <Go to ISI:>//WOS:001109754500001
%R 10.1039/D3NA00611E
%U https://bib-pubdb1.desy.de/record/599272