Polypyrrole growth on YBa2Cu3O7-δ modified with a self-assembled monolayer of N-(3-aminopropyl)pyrrole: Hardwiring the 'electroactive hot spots' on a superconductor electrode

This paper describes a new method for controlling the deposition of conductive polymer systems onto high-Tc superconductor surfaces. This method relies on the spontaneous adsorption of the pyrrole-terminated alkylamine reagent 1 onto YBa2Cu3O7-δ prior to polymerization. Large changes in the polymer growth rates and vast improvements in the polymer morphology are obtained with the use of such adsorbed monolayers. As described, the adsorbed monolayer structures promote radically different polymer deposition properties from those observed previously for the more traditional electrode materials (i.e., Au, Pt, etc.). These unusual observations provided valuable insight into the electrochemical characteristics and local surface electroactivity/conductivity properties of oriented cuprate superconductor films. 16 refs., 2 figs