Copper-polypyrrole composite films for electrocatalysis of ascorbic acid

In this study, we report the electrochemical synthesis of a composite electrode material based on thin films of polypyrrole (PPy) deposited by electropolymerization method on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate which was followed by the insertion of copper (Cu) particles on the PPy film under potentiostatic conditions. For this purpose, two separate solutions were used one is an organic solution containing the monomer pyrrole (Py), and the other is an aqueous solution of the metal salt. The synthesis parameters were carefully examined in order to obtain suitable morphological microstructure of the deposits and thus enhanced electrocatalytic properties of the modified electrode. The electrochemical reactivity of the resulting Cu-PPy/Si electrodes was then examined towards the oxidation of ascorbic acid (AA) in 0.1 M pH 7.0 phosphate buffer solution using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry methods. The results demonstrate that the synergism of the advantages each component in the composite provides an enhancement in catalytic activity of the final material for the determination of ascorbic acid.