Electropolymerization of sulfonated phenol by cyclic voltammetry

n this work, electropolymerization of sulfonated phenol were performed by cyclic voltammetry (CV) on planar or nano-architecture substrates. The corresponding CV curves were analyzed and compared. The obtained polymer was characterized by SEM, EDX, and FTIR. The results suggested that it was feasible to electropolymerize sulfonated phenol on different substrates. The facility of electropolymerization on different substrates was as follows: graphite carbon > stainless steel plate > ZrO2 nanotube. The peak current density of CV curve on stainless steel kept constant from the second cycle possibly attributed to the promoting effects of sulfonic acid groups: improving the ionic conductivity, changing the packing mode of polymer chains, and enhancing the permeability of the film to monomers. This work offered some insights into electrochemical synthesis of proton-conducting membrane for varied special applications, such as micro-sized fuel cell, sensor, battery, and other solid-state ionic devices.