In this thesis, I investigated the possibility of UV polymerization of pyrrole and monitored this process using a rheometer. Since pyrrole does not polymerize on its own, I added an iodonium salt, namely bis(4-tert-butylphenyl)iodonium hexafluorophosphate, which under UV light initiates the oxidative polymerization of pyrrole into polypyrrole. I prepared a reference mixture of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (2-HEMA), ethanol, and a type I photoinitiator (Genocure LTM or MBF), added pyrrole and the iodonium salt to it, and monitored the reaction using oscillatory rheometry (G′, G″, tan δ) and FTIR spectroscopy at UV wavelengths of 365 and 405 nm. I found that the polymerization of pyrrole proceeded successfully in the presence of the iodonium salt; however, it had a negative effect on the polymerization of 2-HEMA itself. In the presence of pyrrole polymerization, the polymerization of 2-HEMA proceeded more slowly, which was evident from the slower increase in complex viscosity and both moduli during the rheological measurements. FTIR analysis also showed that, despite a longer UV irradiation time of the reaction mixture containing pyrrole, a portion of the 2-HEMA remained unreacted.
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