Polypyrrole/gelatin cryogel as a precursor for a macroporous conducting polymer

Soft macroporous conducting polypyrrole/gelatin cryogels were prepared by a single-step oxidation of pyrrole in the frozen aqueous solution of gelatin. Corresponding aerogels were obtained after freeze-drying of cryogels. Polypyrrole component was collected after removing gelatin by acid hydrolysis. Such polypyrrole has unique macroporous morphology with pore walls composed of two-dimensional sheets. Its mechanical integrity proved the connectivity of the conducting phase in cryogels. Macroporous free-standing polypyrrole obtained after hydrolytic removal of gelatin had conductivity and specific surface area one order of magnitude higher than both the precursor aerogel and the reference polypyrrole prepared by cryotechnique in the absence of gelatin.