Nucleation and Growth Mechanism of Electropolymerization of Polypyrrole on Gold/Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite Electrode

Abstract

Nucleation and growth mechanism of polypyrrole films was investigated on vapor deposited gold/highly oriented pyrolytic graphite by current‐time transient (i‐t) measurements and atomic force microscopy. It was found that the nucleation and growth was an instantaneous two‐dimensional process before nuclei overlapping and progressive three‐dimensional after nuclei overlapping. The polypyrrole structure was observed to be zigzag or screw‐type and particle‐like for thin and thick films, respectively. © 2000 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.