Electrochemical additive manufacturing (ECAM), based
on meniscus-guided
deposition, is an emerging technique for the fabrication of conducting
polymers. The ECAM fabrication of polypyrrole entails the electrochemical
polymerization of pyrrole monomers and additive manufacturing of polymers.
Herein, we investigate the 2-naphthalene sulfonic acid sodium salt
(NSA-a), sodium naphthalene-2,6-disulfonate (NSA-b), and 4,5-dihydroxy-1,3-benzenedisulfonic
acid disodium salt (Tiron) as anionic dopants for the ECAM processing
of polypyrrole. The analysis of the dopants, encompassing the electrochemical
tests and electron microscopy measurements coupled with energy-level
calculations, provides an insight into the influence of their structure
and functional groups on polypyrrole depositions. The increase in
the charge/mass ratio of the dopant results in lower deposition potential,
higher deposition rate, and reduced particle agglomeration. Atomic
force microscopy tests reveal that the employment of Tiron demonstrates
improved deformation tolerance with stronger adhesion due to the chelating
properties. The high electronic conductivity of Tiron-doped polypyrrole
is attributed to multiple −SO3
– groups, which enhance the interchain mobility of charge carriers.
Tiron-doped polypyrrole micropillars are successfully produced via
pulling of the meniscus. The findings present an opportunity for the
optimization and engineering of ECAM fabrications.