Interfacing conjugated polymers with magnetic nanowires

A variety of new multisegmented nanowires based on magnetic metals and conjugated polymers, polypyrrole (PPy) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), were synthesized by an all-electrochemical template method for precise control over segment lengths. To overcome the major problem occurring when performing direct electrodeposition of PPy or PEDOT on active metals, such as nickel, the concomitant metal oxidation and redissolution at the positive potentials required for polymer formation, we developed a two-step chemical process. Prior to electropolymerization, the Ni surface was pretreated with 3-(pyrrol-1-yl) propanoic acid. This strategy allowed the improvement of the polymer adhesion, resulting in the formation of mechanically robust Ni/conjugated polymer interfaces. By this way, we successfully prepared various original trisegmented nanostructures, such as systems containing one magnetic segment, Ni-PPy-Pt and Ni-PEDOT-Au nanowires, and systems containing two different magnetic metals, Ni-PPy-Co and Ni-PEDOT-Co nanowires. All these one-dimensional multicomponent nanostructures present both fundamental interest and potential applications in nanoelectronics and in biomedical field.