Electrochemical Oxidative Formation and Reductive Desorption of a Self-Assembled Monolayer of Decanethiol on a Au(111) Surface in KOH Ethanol Solution

Electrochemical oxidative adsorption and reductive desorption of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of decanethiol on a Au(111) single crystal electrode were examined in 0.1 M KOH ethanol solution containing various concentrations of decanethiol ranging from 1 muM to 1 mM. Anodic and cathodic current peaks corresponding to the adsorption and desorption of decanethiol, respectively, were observed in cyclic voltammograms of a Au(111) single crystal electrode obtained in 0.1 M KOH ethanol solution containing more than 10 muM of decanethiol. Positions of both peaks depended on the concentration of decanethiol, and they shifted negatively by ca. 0.057 V/decade with increase in decanethiol concentration. This result confirms that the adsorption and desorption of decanethiol is a one-electron process. The reductive charge, which consists of desorption charge and capacitive charge, increased when the sweep rate was decreased and the decanethiol concentration was increased and reached the saturated value of 103 (+/-5%) muC cm-2, which corresponds to the reductive charge of thiol SAM of full coverage with a ( radical3 x radical3)R30 degrees structure. Potentiostatic SAM formation was also investigated by holding the potential at +0.1 V. The reductive charge, i.e., the coverage of the SAM, increased with time and reached the saturated value of 103 (+/-5%) muC cm-2, corresponding to full coverage, after holding the potential at +0.1 V for a certain period of time. The time when the amount of adsorbed thiolate reached full coverage depended on the concentration of decanethiol. The higher the concentration was, the faster full coverage was reached. The desorption peak shifted negatively as the holding time at +0.1 V was increased even after the adsorbed amount had reached full coverage. These results suggest that the ordering of decanethiol SAMs requires a much longer time than the time required for full coverage adsorption. The position of the reductive desorption peak was independent of the thiol concentration if the electrode was kept at +0.1 V for long enough so that a highly ordered SAM was formed. The cathodic peak shifted negatively as the sweep rate was increased, showing that reductive desorption of the SAM was rather slow. The rate constant for the reductive desorption was determined from the potential dependent peak shift to be 0.24 s-1, which is in good agreement with the value obtained for a SAM prepared without potential control, indicating that the quality of the electrochemically prepared SAM is as good as that of the SAM prepared nonelectrochemically.     

Electropolymerization of iron tetra(<Emphasis Type="Italic">o</Emphasis>-aminophenyl)porphyrin from aqueous solution and the electrocatalytic behavior of modified electrode

Stable electroactive iron tetra(o-aminophenyl)porphyrin (FeTAPP) films are prepared by electropolymerization from aqueous solution by cycling the electrode potential between −0.4 and 1.0 V vs Ag/AgCl at 0.1 V s⁻¹. The cyclic voltammetric response indicates that polymerization takes place after the oxidation of amino groups, and the films could be produced on glassy carbon (GC) and gold electrodes. The film growth of poly(FeTAPP) was monitored by using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance. The cyclic voltammetric features of Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox couple in the film resembles that of surface confined redox species. The electrochemical response of the modified electrode was found to be dependent on the pH of the contacting solution with a negative shift of 57 mV/pH. The electrocatalytic behavior of poly(FeTAPP) film-modified electrode was investigated towards reduction of hydrogen peroxide, molecular oxygen, and chloroacetic acids (mono-, di-, and tri-). The reduction of hydrogen peroxide, molecular oxygen, and dichloroacetic acid occurred at less negative potential on poly(FeTAPP) film compared to bare GC electrode. Particularly, the overpotential of hydrogen peroxide was reduced substantially. The O₂ reduction proceeds through direct four-electron reduction mechanism.     

Polycrystalline Gold Electrodes: A Comparative Study of Pretreatment Procedures Used for Cleaning and Thiol Self‐Assembly Monolayer Formation

The influence of different surface pretreatment procedures on the electrochemical response of a polycrystalline gold electrode was evaluated. Mechanical polishing with slurry alumina (M), chemical oxidation with H₂SO₄/H₂O₂ (C), electrochemical polishing (potential cycling between ?0.1 V and 1.2 V vs. SCE) (E), chemical reduction with ethanol, and combinations among these treatments were employed to change the surface electrode characteristics. The efficiency of the proposed pretreatments was evaluated by electrochemical responses towards the redox couple ferri(II/III)‐ammonium sulfate and by the formation of a self‐assembly monolayer of 3‐mercaptopropionic acid (3 MPA SAM) on gold electrodes. The procedure (C) allowed important gold surfaces activation. Using procedures (C) and (E) the roughness of polycrystalline gold surfaces was significantly minimized and more reproducible surfaces could be obtained. From the profile of reductive desorption of 3 MPA SAM it was possible to verify that reduced gold surfaces generated better packed monolayers than oxidized ones and a comparative study using CV and DPV techniques showed that between the two desorption peaks, the one localized at more negative potential values corresponds to the cleavage of Au‐S bond from the chemisorbed thiol. In general, the improvement in the studied electrochemical responses could not only be attributed to an increase in the real surface area of the electrode, but to the chemical surface states set off by the pretreatment procedure.     

The Effect of Adsorption of Ions of the Hexacyanoferrate(II)/(III) Redox Pair on Self-Assembly of Octanethiol at Its Adsorption from Aqueous Solutions on Gold Electrode

The effect of components of the redox pair K₃[Fe(CN)₆]/K₄[Fe(CN)₆] on the dynamics of formation of octanethiol (OT) monolayers from aqueous thiol-containing solutions of 0.1 М NaClO₄ is studied by cyclic voltammetry (CVA). The formation of OT monolayers is shown to depend on the presence of ions of hexacyanoferrate(II)/(III) in solution. Being added to solution, the components of the [Fe(CN)₆]^3–/4– redox pair sharply increase the time of formation of the insulating monolayer OT films and make them less stable. The destabilizing and inhibiting action of [Fe(CN)₆]^3–/4– ions becomes stronger as their concentration in solution increases. The adsorption activity of individual components of the redox pair is assessed. The strong and approximately equal adsorption activity of ions [Fe(CN)₆]^3– and [Fe(CN)₆]^4– on gold in the presence of octanethiol is observed. At the same time, OT and the hexacyanoferrate(II)/(III) ions can be placed in the following row: OT > [Fe(CN)6]^3– ≈ [Fe(CN)₆]^4–. Recommendations are given on how to eliminate the interfering action of the K₃[Fe(CN)₆]/K₄[Fe(CN)₆] redox-pair ions when studying the insulating properties of thiol monolayers on gold.     

Plasmonic response of electrified metal-liquid interfaces during faradaic and non-faradaic reactions by enhanced optical transmission

Thin Au films, patterned by focused ion beam (FIB) milling to contain an array of subwavelength nanopores, exhibit enhanced optical transmission (EOT) via front-back resonance coupling. The films also serve as working electrodes capable of controlling the local potential, allowing electrochemical processes to be monitored using wavevector-resolved spectral mapping. The precise value of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) wavevector can be extracted from the enhanced optical transmission signal and correlated with several distinct classes of electrochemical processes: double layer reorganization, faradaic adsorption/desorption, heterogeneous electron transfer, and anion adsorption. Specifically, the protonation/deprotonation reaction of an adsorbed monolayer of 4-mercaptobenzoic acid, the adsorption/desorption reaction of dodecanethiol to Au, the solution-phase reaction of ferri-ferrocyanide, and sulfate adsorption/desorption are investigated. A simple model is presented that encompasses both the EOT signal and electrochemical processes and produces semi-quantitative agreement with the SPR spectral wavevector mapping observed experimentally.     

Flow injection amperometric sensing of uric acid and ascorbic acid using the self-assembly of heterocyclic thiol on Au electrode

Au electrode modified with the self-assembled monolayer of a heterocyclic thiol, mercaptotriazole (MTz), is used for the electroanalysis of uric acid (UA) and ascorbic acid (AA). MTz forms a less compact self-assembly on Au electrode. The self-assembly of MTz on Au electrode favors the oxidation of UA and AA at less positive potential. Significant decrease (∼400 mV) in the overpotential and enhancement in the peak current for the oxidation of interfering AA with respect to the unmodified electrode is observed. The negative shift in the oxidation peak potential of AA favors electrochemical sensing of UA without any interference. Two well-separated voltammetric peaks for AA and UA are observed in their coexistence. The large separation between the two voltammetric peaks allows the simultaneous or selective sensing of the analytes without compromising the sensitivity. Linear response is obtained for a wide concentration range. This electrode could sense as low as 1 μM of UA in the presence of 10-fold excess of interfering AA. No change in the sensitivity (0.012 μA/μM) of the electrode toward UA in the presence and absence of AA is observed. Reproducible and stable amperometric flow injection response was obtained upon repetitive injection.     

Mechanism of nitrate electroreduction on Pt(100)

Kinetics and mechanism of nitrate anion reduction on the Pt(100) electrode in perchloric and sulfuric acid solutions are studied. Analysis of the results of electrochemical measurements (combination of potentiostatic treatment and cyclic voltammetry) and the data of in situ IR spectroscopy allow suggesting the following scheme of the nitrate reduction process on Pt(100) differing from that in the literature. If the potential of 0.85 V is chosen as the starting potential for a clean flame-annealed electrode surface and negativegoing (cathodic) potential sweep is applied, then an NO adlayer with the coverage of about 0.5 monolayer is formed on Pt(100) in the nitrate solution already at 0.6 V. The further decrease in the potential results in NO reduction to hydroxylamine or/and ammonia, desorbing products vacate the adsorption sites for nitrate and hydrogen adatoms. At E < 0.1 V, adsorbed hydrogen is mostly present on the surface. During positive-going (anodic) potential sweep, the process of nitrate reduction starts after partial hydrogen desorption, the cathodic peak of nitrate reduction to hydroxylamine or ammonia is observed at 0.32 V on cyclic voltammograms. The process of nitrate anion reduction continues up to 0.7 V; at higher potentials, the surface redox process with participation of hydroxylamine or ammonia (the anodic peak at 0.78 V) and nitrate (the cathodic peak at 0.74 V is due to nitrate reduction to NO on the vacant adsorption sites) occurs.     

Adsorption and release behavior of bare and DNA-wrapped-carbon nanotubes on self-assembled monolayer surface

The adsorption and release behavior of single-stranded DNA-wrapped single-walled carbon nanotubes (ssDNA-w-SWCNTs) on alkylthiol self-assembled monolayer (SAM) surface was systematically characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Fast electron transfer between bare Au electrode and redox species blocked by the alkylthiol SAM can be restored by SWCNTs or ssDNA-w-SWCNTs. The release of ssDNA-w-SWCNTs is carried out by positive or negative desorption potential. SWCNTs/SAM or ssDNA-w-SWCNTs/SAM is completely removed from Au surface at +0.90 V or -1.40 V (vs. 3.0 M KCl|Ag|AgCl). The controlled release of SWCNTs/SAM and ssDNA-w-SWCNTs/SAM holds great promise for gene delivering.     

Cobaltocenium-functionalized poly(propylene imine) dendrimers: redox and electromicrogravimetric studies and AFM imaging

The first four generations of cobaltocenium-functionalized, diaminobutane-based poly(propylene imine) dendrimers DAB-dend-Cb,(PFb)x (x = 4, 8, 16, and 32; Cb=[Co(eta5-C5H4CONH)(eta5-C5H5)] (1-4) have been synthesized and characterized. The redox activity of the cobaltocenium centers in 1-4 has been characterized by using cyclic voltammetry and the electrochemical quartz-crystal microbalance (EQCM). All of the dendrimers exhibit reversible redox chemistry associated with the cobaltocenium/cobaltocene redox couple. Upon reduction. the dendrimers exhibit a tendency to electrodeposit onto the electrode surface, which is more pronounced for the higher generations. Pt and glassy carbon electrodes could be modified with films derived from 1-4,exhibiting a well-defined and persistent electrochemical response. EQCM measurements show that the dendrimers adsorb, at open circuit, onto platinum surfaces at monolayer or submonolayer coverage. Cathodic potential scanning past -0.75 V at which the cobaltocenium sites are reduced, gave rise to the electrodeposition of multilayer equivalents of the dendrimers. The additional material gradually desorbs upon re-oxidation so that only a monolayer equivalent remains on the electrode surface. Changes in film morphology as a function of dendrimer generation and surface coverage were studied by using admittance measurements of the quartz-crystal resonator on the basis of its electrical equivalent circuit, especially in terms of its resistance parameter. In general, we find that films of the lower dendrimer generation 1 behave rigidly, whereas those of the higher generation 4 exhibit viscoelastic behavior with an intermediate behavior being exhibited by 2 and 3. Using tapping-mode atomic force microscopy (AFM). we have been able to obtain molecularly resolved images of dendrimer 4 adsorbed on a Pt(111) electrode.     

Pt（111）电极上O2与OHad的吸脱附及氧还原反应动力学

研究了Pt（111）电极在0．1mol／LHClO4溶液中O2吸附与OHad脱附及氧还原反应的动力学．研究发现OHad的可逆吸脱附速率很快;在氧还原的动力学或动力学与传质混合控制区,恒电位下氧还原的电流随反应时间缓慢衰减,在转速较大,扫速较慢的情形下正向扫描过程中氧还原的电流总是明显低于逆向扫描的电流;Pt／0．1mol／LHClO4从无O2切换到O2饱和时,其开路电位迅速从0．9V增加到1．0V．结果表明,Pt（111）电极上O2解离生成OHad速率很快,ORR过程中OHad会在表面缓慢积累,氧还原反应的动力学主要由反应 OHad＋H^＋＋e→←H2O的平衡热力学决定．     

Co-adsorption of CO onto a Ag-modified Pt(111)--restructuring of a Ag UPD layer monitored by EC-STM

The effect of co-adsorption of CO on an underpotentially deposited (UPD) silver monolayer on a Pt(111) single crystal electrode in 0.05 M sulfuric acid is investigated for the first time by means of electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM). Pure electrochemical experiments suggest that the co-adsorption of CO onto Pt single crystal electrodes previously modified by a monolayer of Ag, forces Ag atoms of the first UPD monolayer into a second adlayer. The present EC-STM studies reveal the formation of a large-area Ag network after the co-adsorption of CO. The resulting Ag nanostructures formed on wide Pt(111) terraces are approximately 0.5 nm high and 10 nm wide. The desorption of the newly formed second Ag adlayer, the oxidation of CO and the desorption of Ag atoms from the first adlayer are monitored by EC-STM and simultaneously detected in the corresponding CVs in three different oxidation peaks. EC-STM images recorded afterwards show the unchanged Pt surface. The presence of Ag on the surface leads to a downward shift of the onset of oxygen adsorption on the Pt(111) surface.     

锌电极上2-巯基吡啶自组装单层的原位表面增强拉曼光谱电化学观察

利用原位表面增强拉曼散射(SERS)技术, 观察了2-巯基吡啶在锌电极上单层吸附和脱附行为. SERS实验结果表明, 2-巯基吡啶分子主要通过巯基上的硫原子垂直吸附于锌表面. 原位SERS光谱电化学发现, 当外加电位达到－1.4 V vs. SCE时, 分子开始从表面脱附, 并伴随吸附构型变化, 在－1.6 V时发生完全脱附.     

Electrochemical factors controlling the patterning of metals on SAM-coated substrates

Alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) have been used in electrochemical microfabrication processes. The reductive desorption potential of alkanethiol SAMs, Edes, can be comparable to, greater than, or less than the metal reduction potential during electrodeposition, Emet. As a result, the SAM layer can passivate the surface or desorb simultaneously with metal deposition. We show that these electrochemical traits can be combined with a rastering microjet electrode to pattern SAMs directly and create patterned metal films without lithography steps. For the case of copper deposition on 1-octanethiol (OT)- and 1-dodecanethiol (DT)-coated substrates, Edes is significantly negative of Emet, resulting in high-resolution metal patterns with poor nucleation and poor adhesion to the substrate. However, nickel patterns deposited on 1-butanethiol (BT), OT, and DT have traits similar to bare gold (excellent nucleation and adhesion) because Edes is positive of Emet. Substrates with SAMs also suppress adventitious chemistries that occur distant from the rastering microjet electrode, such as oxygen reduction, making samples more corrosion resistant and improving the overall patterning process that we call electrochemical printing.     

Probing the hydrogen adsorption affinity of Pt and Ir by surface interrogation scanning electrochemical microscopy (SI-SECM)

Scanning electrochemical microscopy in the surface interrogation mode (SI-SECM) has been used to probe the strength of metal-adsorbed H bonds at Pt and Ir. The generally accepted view is that this technique can only give meaningful results for similar probe and substrate electrode dimensions. However, it is shown that SI-SECM can also provide valuable information for H adsorption even when the substrate is much larger than the microelectrode probe (of 500 and 25 μm diameter respectively), for properly chosen substrate and mediator combinations that minimize the tip currents under substrate open circuit potential conditions. Linear sweep voltammetry at a microelectrode positioned at a very small probe–substrate distance (2.5 μm) showed remarkable positive feedback in the presence of an oxidizable mediator (TMPD) when a full or partial H monolayer was electrochemically pre-formed on the Pt or Ir substrate. The magnitude and shapes of chronoamperometric responses at the tip were interpreted in terms of variation of H coverage with time and changes in the open circuit potential of the substrate. The higher affinity of Ir than Pt for adsorbed H has been used to validate the approach.     

葡萄糖、半乳糖和乙醇恒电流氧化过程电位振荡的EQCM研究

采用电化学石英晶体微天平(EQCM)研究了0.5 mol•L^-1 NaOH水溶液中铂电极上葡萄糖、半乳糖和乙醇恒电流氧化过程中伴随的电位振荡行为. 两个糖体系的电位振荡过程伴随EQCM频率的同步振荡响应, 而乙醇体系中相应的频率响应却非常小；三个体系振荡过程的同步动态电阻响应均很小, 表明振荡过程频率响应主要为质量效应. 虽然葡萄糖和半乳糖结构相似, 电位和频率振荡的幅度相当, 但频率波数和周期明显不同, 表明电位振荡行为对两者呈现良好的分子识别能力. 本文也讨论了相关振荡机理和NaOH浓度效应及碱性介质中铂电极电化学过程, 提出了所形成的铂氧化物主要是PtO₂-3H₂O_ad以及两糖体系振荡过程中糖酸根阴离子伴随着高/低电位在铂电极上吸/脱附的新观点.     

Two-dimensional self-assembled structures of melamine and melem at the aqueous solution-Au(111) interface

Self-assembled structures of melamine and the condensed melamine derivative melem were investigated at aqueous solution-Au(111) interfaces by cyclic voltammetry and in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) observation. The adsorption/desorption behaviors of both molecules on Au(111) surfaces could be controlled by varying the electrochemical potential and solution concentration. In the negative potential region, self-assembled structures of melem and melamine were constructed by double hydrogen bonding systems between nitrogen atoms of triazine rings and amine groups. In addition, melem formed a closely packed structure at potentials of between -0.3 and -0.15 V or in solutions at higher concentrations.     

Potentiodynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Copper underpotential deposition on gold

Copper underpotential deposition on polycrystalline gold was examined by potentiodynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (PDEIS). The time evolution of the ac response was acquired as 3D plots of frequency response versus applied potential, and these data were later processed with an equivalent circuit analyser built into the virtual spectrometer. The dependences of the equivalent circuit parameters on potential revealed different responses of nitrate and sulphate. Nitrate adsorption pseudocapacitance, and the inverse of the adsorption pseudoresistance, both exhibited peaks in a narrow range of Cu monolayer growth, while sulphate affected a wider potential range and gave two desorption peaks in the anodic scan. Intrinsic irreversibility of the constituent processes was revealed by cyclic redox transformations of the Cu monolayer.     

Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetric Detection of Single‐Stranded DNA at Electrochemically Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

Electrochemically modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was used to study the electrochemical oxidation and detection of denatured single‐stranded (ss) DNA by means of adsorptive stripping voltammetry. The modification of GCE, by electrochemical oxidation at +1.75 V (vs.SCE) for 10 min and cyclic sweep between +0.3 V and ?1.3 V for 20 cycles in pH 5.0 phosphate buffer, results in 100‐fold improvement in sensitivity for ssDNA detection. We speculated that the modified GCE has a high affinity to single‐stranded DNA through hydrogen bond (specific static adsorption). Single‐stranded DNA can accumulate at the GCE surface at open circuit and produce a well‐defined oxidation peak corresponding to the guanine residues at about +0.80 V in pH 5.0 phosphate buffer, while the native DNA gives no signal under the same condition. The peak currents are proportional to the ssDNA concentration in the range of 0–18.0 μg mL^?1. The detection limit of denatured ssDNA is ca. 0.2 μg mL^?1 when the accumulation time is 8 min at open circuit. The accumulation mechanism of ssDNA on the modified GCE was discussed.     

Formation of passivating layers by 1,2,4-triazole derivatives on copper in aqueous solutions

Ellipsometry and electrochemical measurements are used to study the adsorption of some substituted 1,2,4-triazoles on copper and their effect on dissolution of copper in aqueous buffer solutions at pH 7.4. It is found that the adsorption of triazole compounds on copper is polymolecular at potential Е = 0.0 V, in relation to a normal hydrogen electrode. The first layer is described by the Temkin equation with free adsorption energy (−ΔG_a⁰) = 55.2–76.3 kJ/mol and an energy heterogeneity factor that varies from 0.91 to 2.5. The maximum value of −ΔG_a⁰ is found for an acid and a hydrogen sulfide corrosion inhibitor that is a mixture of triazole derivatives. The same inhibitor is the one least sensitive to the energy heterogeneity of the surface of a copper electrode, due to its high chemical reactivity and ability to be adsorbed on different active sites. This inhibitor is likely chemisorbed on copper and forms an ultrathin coating in an aqueous solution that is vastly superior to similar coatings produced by the familiar corrosion inhibitors of triazole group compounds in protecting against atmospheric corrosion.

     

Self-assembly of insoluble porphyrins on Au(111) under aqueous electrochemical control

Self-assembled monolayers of a water-insoluble porphyrin, tetraphenyl porphyrin (TPP), in the presence of an aqueous electrolyte were characterized in situ with electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM) at working electrode potentials of between 0.5 and -0.2 V. Isolated domains of TPP monolayers with differing orientation were observed on Au(111) in 0.1 M HClO(4) over this entire potential window. Individual TPP molecules could be resolved over a range of 700 mV, from open circuit potential (OCP) to near the hydrogen evolution potential. The unit cell is square, and the distance between neighboring molecules is about 1.4 ± 0.1 nm. High-resolution images allow the internal molecular structure to be discerned. No changes in the STM contrast of individual molecules were observed as the potential was changed. In a neutral electrolyte (0.1 M KClO(4), pH ~6), the potential range of stability of ordered structures is reduced. On HOPG, TPP forms ordered hexagonal structures with a lattice constant of about 2.6 nm in the double-layer potential region in 0.1 M HClO(4).