A series of electronically conductive nanocomposite materials that consisted of soluble polypyrrole (PPY) and layered montmorillonite (MMT) clay platelets were prepared by effectively dispersing the inorganic nanolayers of MMT clay in organic PPY matrix via an in situ oxidative polymerization with doclecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) as dopant. Organic pyrrole monomers were first intercalated into the interlayer regions of organophilic clay hosts and followed by a one-step oxidative polymerization. The as-synthesized electronically conductive polypyrrole-clay nanocomposite (PCN) materials were then characterized by Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, wide-angle powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). PCNs in the form of coatings with low clay loading (e.g., 1.0 wt %) on cold-rolled steel (CRS) were found to exhibit much better in corrosion protection Over those of pristine PPY based on a series of electrochemical measurements including corrosion potential, polarization resistance, and corrosion current in 5 wt % aqueous NaCl electrolyte. Effects of the material composition on the thermal stability, optical properties, and electrical conductivity of pristine PPY along with PCN materials, in the form of fine powder, powder-pressed pellet, and solution, were also studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), UV-visible absorption spectra, and four-point probe technique, respectively. The viscosity of PPY existed in PCN materials and pristine PPY were determined by viscometric analysis with m-cresol as solvent. The heterogeneous nucleating effect of MMT clay platelets in PPY matrix was studied by wide-angle powder XRD. The corresponding morphological images of the nucleating behavior of clay platelets in PPY matrix were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.