Thiol-Michael-Functionalized\nPolypyrrole Nanoparticles\nwith Intrinsic Fluorescence and Electroactivity

Polypyrrole is functionalized by deprotonation of its\noxidized\nstate, followed by a thiol-Michael addition reaction. It is found\nthat this process produced emissive compositions. This feature is\nfound to be diagnostic of the functionalization and relative solvation\nby water, wherein enhanced interactions with the solvent gave higher\nemission intensities. The thiol-conjugation method is shown to be\ngeneral and can be extended to a range of polar, nonpolar, and aromatic\nmaterials. Thiol-conjugated materials retain the electroactivity characteristic\nof polypyrrole. The dual fluorescence and electroactivity of these\nthiol-conjugated nanoparticles suggest their potential as a sensing\nplatform.