Electroreduction of oxygen on octadecylmercaptan self-assembled monolayers

The reduction of oxygen has been studied on octadecylmercaptan self-assembled monolayers adsorbed on gold substrates in borate buffer solutions with a rotating disc electrode. A great inhibition of the oxygen reduction and other electrochemical reactions by these monolayers has been found. However, after polarisation at -0.80 V(SHE) the protecting properties of the film against electron transfer reactions are lost, and a behaviour similar to bare gold is observed. Ex situ XPS indicates that the thiol monolayer has not been desorbed to a large extent during oxygen reduction. Disorders of the monolayer structure and desorption of thiol molecules are proposed as the main reasons for the accessibility of electrochemical reactions to the surface.     

Enhanced thermal stability and structural ordering in short chain <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-alkanethiol monolayers on gold probed by vibrational spectroscopy and EQCM

Monolayers of alkanethiols with varied chain lengths, CH₃(CH₂)_nSH where n = 3, 5, and 7, on gold substrates have been prepared by adsorption from (1) neat thiol, (2) millimolar thiol solution in alcohol (conventional method), and (3) potential-controlled adsorption. Reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) have been used to characterize the integrity of the monolayers. Methylene and methyl stretching modes along with C–S stretching modes have been used as benchmarks to follow the order–disorder transitions in the monolayer structure, in the temperature range from 25 to 175 °C. Monolayers adsorbed from neat thiol show superior quality in terms of stability and structural arrangement. Short chain thiols with n = 3, 5, and 7 do show substantial stability. The possibility of multilayer formation is ruled out by EQCM studies comparing the frequency and mass change associated with the monolayer desorption. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) adsorbed under potential control behave very similarly to the monolayers adsorbed from neat thiol as far as stability and structural orientation are concerned, irrespective of the chain length. The adsorption from neat thiol gets rid of the solvent-induced defects and arrests the propagation of defects under temperature constraints.     

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.     

Electron transport in two-dimensional arrays of gold nanocrystals investigated by scanning electrochemical microscopy

This article reports the use of the scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM) to investigate the electronic properties of Langmuir monolayers of alkane thiol protected gold nanocrystals (NCs). A substantial increase in monolayer conductivity upon mechanical compression of the Au NC monolayer is reported for the first time. This may be the room temperature signature of the insulator to metal transition previously reported for comparable silver NC monolayers. Factors influencing the conductivity of the monolayer NC array are discussed.     

Reduction of oxygen and hydrogen peroxide on electrodes with adsorbed monolayer of aliphatic compounds

Cathodic reduction of oxygen and hydrogen peroxide on amalgamated platinum electrodes, which are coated with monolayers of long-chain aliphatic compounds cetyl alcohol (CA) and stearic acid (SA), is retarded as compared with the same reactions on clean mercury (or amalgam) surface. The oxygen reduction kinetics differ from that on mercury. The difference is explained by that oxygen diffuses into the monolayer and is reduced in it at a certain distance from the metal surface and only at the limiting current the reaction is forced onto the monolayer surface. In contrast to the oxygen reduction, the hydrogen peroxide reduction kinetics on electrodes with SA and CA monolayers is much closer to that on mercury, but with some quantitative distinctions. All results favor the H₂O₂ reduction at the monolayer/solution interface. The difference in the behavior of O₂ and H₂O₂ is explained by different polarity of these molecules: it is significantly more difficult to penetrate the hydrocarbon monolayer for polar H₂O₂ molecule than for nonpolar O₂ molecule.     

Electron Transport Through Composite Monolayers

Well-organized thiol monolayers on electrode surfaces are prepared using the Langmuir–Blodgett and self-assembly methods. Planned modification of the molecules building the monolayer allow the electron tunneling efficiency across the monolayer to be controlled. The barrier properties of the monolayers are probed by electrochemical methods. The extent of blocking for all systems under study indicates that contribution of the electroactive molecules that find direct access to the electrode surface can be neglected. These observations permit us to use the monolayers for the determination of the kinetic parameters of Fe(CN)^3– ₆ and IrCl^2– ₆ ion reduction. Such monolayers are employed for the studies of long-range electron transport. We show that insertion of amide bonds in appropriate positions of the alkyl chains of all molecules building the monolayer makes it possible to create a lateral hydrogen-bond network linking the internal amide groups in the monolayer and contributing to the electronic coupling between the redox probe and the electrode. The relation between the location of the amide moiety in the molecule and its importance for the electron tunneling efficiency through the intervening organic medium is discussed.     

Electrochemical behavior of gold electrodes modified with self-assembled monolayers with an acidic end group for selective detection of dopamine

Gold electrodes modified with monolayers with ionic end groups of different acidity and structure have been evaluated for the detection of dopamine. It has been demonstrated that the selectivity of monolayers depends not only on ionic charge but also on the nature of the ionic end group and defects in the monolayer. Catalytic effects due to the electrocatalytic oxidation of ascorbic acid by dopamine are present at the monolayer modified gold electrode. The angle resolved XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) experiments demonstrate that the sulfonate group do not compete with thiol on binding the gold electrode. The capacitance measurements demonstrate that the capacitance depends on the length, end group type and defects present in monolayers.     

Self-assembled monolayers on electrode surfaces: a probe for redox kinetics

The formation and characterization of self-assembled monolayers of organosulfur compounds like alkanethiols and dialkyl (di)sulfides on metal surfaces such as gold are areas of current research interest. The presence of an aromatic ring in a thiol molecule can enhance the binding between Au and the thiol, resulting in the formation of compact and impervious self-assembled monolayers. The formation of a monolayer of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT), containing an aromatic group with a fused thiazole ring but no long alkyl chain, is achieved on a gold electrode surface. Voltammetric investigations of ferro/ferricyanide and ferrous/ferric redox systems carried out on this Au|MBT electrode are reported. Further, the possibility of using such an Au|MBT electrode to distinguish between inner and outer sphere electron transfer reactions is indicated. Received: 2 January 1998 / Accepted: 14 May 1998     

Electrochemical Characterization of Self‐Assembled Monolayer of a Novel Manganese Tetrabenzylthio‐Substituted Phthalocyanine and Its Use in Nitrite Oxidation

Manganese phthalocyanine MnPc(SPh)₄ has been synthesized and used to form self assembled monolayers on gold electrodes. The well packed SAM monolayer was characterized by analyzing the blocking of a number of Faradic processes by cyclic voltammetry, evaluating the electrical characteristics of the modified electrode by electrochemical impedance and imaging the modified surface by electrochemical scanning microscopy. Finally, MnPc(SPh)₄‐SAM modified electrode displayed an electrocatalytic behavior toward the oxidation of nitrite.     

Plasma reactions of self-assembled monolayers to model oxygen atom effects on polymers

The plasma treatment of self-assembled monolayers of octadecyl mercaptan on gold substrates has been investigated as a model for oxygen atom effects on polymers. Both O₂ and H₂O low pressure gas plasmas have been used. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has revealed that the two plasma treatments differ from each other in the extent of oxidation and etch rate with O₂ being the more aggressive plasma. The results have confirmed that the plasma modification of organic surfaces involves a balance between surface oxidation and surface etching. The well-defined structure of the monolayer enables quantitation of these atom-substrate reactions. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structure, wrinkling, and reversibility of Langmuir monolayers of gold nanoparticles

The assembly of nanoparticles into large, two-dimensional structures provides a route for the exploration of collective phenomena among mesoscopic building blocks. We characterize the structure of Langmuir monolayers of dodecanethiol-ligated gold nanoparticles with in situ optical microscopy and X-ray scattering. The interparticle spacing increases with thiol concentration and does not depend on surface pressure. The correlation lengths of the Langmuir monolayer crystalline domains are on the order of five to six particle diameters. Further compression of the monolayers causes wrinkling; however, we find that wrinkled monolayers with excess thiol can relax to an unwrinkled state following a reduction of surface pressure. A theoretical model based on van der Waals attraction and tunable steric repulsion is adopted to explain this reversibility.     

Study on surface acid-base property of carboxylic acid-terminated self-assembled monolayers by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spec-troscopy were used to study the surface acid-base property of carboxylic acid-terminated self-assembled monolayers(SAMs).A carboxylic acid-terminated thiol,such as thioctic acid(1,2-dithiolane-3-pentanoic acid),was self-assembled on gold electrodes.Electron transfer between the bulk solution and the SAM modified electrode was studied at different pH using Fe(CN)63-as a probe.The surface pka of thioctic acid was determined by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to be 5.6 ±0.1 and 5.8±0.1,respectively.The method is compared with other methods of monolayer pKa measurement.     

Electrochemical release of amine molecules from carbamate-based, electroactive self-assembled monolayers

In this paper, carbamate-based self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiolates on gold were suggested as a versatile platform for release of amine-bearing molecules in response to the electrical signal. The designed SAMs underwent the electrochemical oxidation on the gold surface with simultaneous release of the amine molecules. The synthesis of the thiol compounds was achieved by coupling isocyanate-containing compounds with hydroquinone. The electroactive thiol was mixed with 11-mercaptoundecanol [HS(CH(2))(11)OH] to form a mixed monolayer, and cyclic votammetry was used for the characterization of the release behaviors. The mixed SAMs showed a first oxidation peak at +540 mV (versus Ag/AgCl reference electrode), indicating the irreversible conversion from carbamate to hydroquinone groups with simultaneous release of the amine molecules. The analysis of ToF-SIMS further indicated that the electrochemical reaction on the gold surface successfully released amine molecules.     

Synthesis and stability of monolayer-protected Au38 clusters

A synthesis strategy to obtain monodisperse hexanethiolate-protected Au38 clusters based on their resistance to etching upon exposure to a hyperexcess of thiol is reported. The reduction time in the standard Brust-Schiffrin two-phase synthesis was optimized such that Au38 were the only clusters that were fully passivated by the thiol monolayer which leaves larger particles vulnerable to etching by excess thiol. The isolated Au38 was characterized by mass spectrometry, thermogravimetric analysis, optical spectroscopy, and electrochemical techniques giving Au38(SC6)22 as the molecular formula for the cluster. These ultrasmall Au clusters behave analogously to molecules with a wide energy gap between occupied (HOMO) and unoccupied levels (LUMO) and undergo single-electron charging at room temperature in electrochemical experiments. Electrochemistry provides an elegant means to study the electronic structure and the chemical stability of the clusters at different charge states. We used cyclic voltammetry and scanning electrochemical microscopy to unequivocally demonstrate that Au38 can be reversibly oxidized to charge states z = +1 or +2; however, reduction to z = -1 leads to desorption of the protecting thiolate monolayer. Although this reductive desorption of thiol from the cluster surface is superficially analogous to electrochemical desorption of planar self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) from macroscopic electrodes, the molecular details of the process are likely to be complicated based on the current view that the thiolate monolayer in clusters is in fact composed of polymeric Au-S complexes.     

Local desorption of thiols by scanning electrochemical microscopy: patterning and tuning the reactivity of self-assembled monolayers

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are widely used in the field of nanotechnologies and (bio)sensors. The monolayer surface properties are tailored by employing several techniques. A large set of SAM post-modification routes are commonly performed to adapt them to a variety of nano-technological and bio-technological studies as well as to several bio-sensoristic applications. Here, we report a procedure to locally modify SAMs by electrochemical desorption of alkanethiols in order to create microsized spots of bare gold area without affecting the surrounding monolayer stability. The tip of the scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM) was employed to draw microstructured pattern according to a defined geometry. The time stability of the pattern was also tested. Furthermore, the patterned surface was post-functionalized using the same alkanethiol or a ferrocene-terminated thiol, in order to tune the surface reactivity of the microstructure. The local surface properties, including reactivity and electron transfer kinetics toward redox mediator reduction, were characterized by SECM.     

Incorporation of surface-derivatized gold nanoparticles into electrochemically generated polymer films

Stable colloidal solutions of gold nanoparticles surface-derivatized with a thiol monolayer have been prepared using two-phase (water–nitrobenzene) reduction of AuCl₄⁻ by sodium borohydride in the presence of 2-mercapto-3-n-octylthiophene (MOT). This kind of surface-functionalized gold nanoparticles can be easily incorporated into the poly(3-octylthiophene) (POT) films on electrode in the process of electrochemical polymerization leading to POT–gold nanoparticle (POT–Au) composite films. Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and X-ray photoelectric spectroscopy (XPS) have been employed to characterize the surface-derivatized particles and the resulting films. The method of incorporation of nanoparticles into polymer by surface-derivatization and in situ polymerization can also be employed to prepare many other polymer–nanoparticle compostie materials.     

Laccase Biosensor on Monolayer‐Modified Gold Electrode

Laccase enzymes from two different sources, namely, tree laccase from Rhus vernicifera and fungal laccase from Coriolus hirsutus were used for the development of biosensor for catechol. Laccase was immobilized onto the amine terminated thiol monolayers on gold surface by glutaraldehyde coupling. From the different thiol monolayers investigated, cystamine was found to be optimal with respect to sensitivity, stability, reproducibility, and other electrochemical properties of the enzyme electrode. Linear calibration in the range between 1 and 400 μM for catechol was obtained for fungal laccase covalently coupled on the electrode surface. The kinetic parameters determined using the Lineweaver‐Burk and Eadie‐Hofstee plots were K_m=0.65 mM and V_max=24.5 μA for fungal laccase compared to K_m=5.4 mM and V_max=6.6 μA for tree laccase on cystamine monolayer. The electrode showed good stability for 1 month without loosing appreciable activity when stored dry in a refrigerator at ?20 °C.     

Electrochemical Characterization of the Self-Assembled Monolayer of 8-Mercaptoquinoline on Polycrystalline Gold Electrode

Self-assembled monolayer of 8-mercaptoquinoline (MQ) on the surface of gold from MQ dilute ethanolic solutions is investigated by electrochemical methods. Some aqueous redox probes, such as ferrocene carboxylic acid and Fe(CN)₆ ^4–/3– can sufficiently diffuse into the monolayer because significant diffusion-limited current peaks are observed when the redox reactions take place, showing that the monolayer is very loosely packed or dominated by defects. However, the study on the electron transfer of other aqueous probes, such as Cu²⁺ and Ru(NH₃)₆ ^3+/2+, confirm that the monolayer can block the electron transfer on the gold electrode surface rather effectively for its low ratio of pinhole defects. These studies show that the MQ monolayer on the electrode can provide an excellent barrier for penetration of some probes but cannot resist the penetration of other probes effectively. The unusual properties of the self-assembled monolayers are attributed to the entity of the very large heterocyclic moiety.     

Quantification of fluorine density in the outermost atomic layer

The outermost atomic layer of perfluorinated thiol monolayers on gold and poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) is analyzed by low-energy ion scattering. Absolute quantification of fluorine density in this layer was achieved after calibrating the fluorine signal with a freshly cleaved LiF(100) single crystal. The fluorine density of monolayers of a C8F17-thiol on gold was 1.48 x 10(15) F atoms/cm2, whereas for PTFE a value of 1.24 x 1015 F atoms/cm2 was observed. This difference was explained by the different tilt angles of the thiol on gold and PTFE chains with respect to the surface normal. Both a configurational and a molecular interpretation on the perfluorinated thiol monolayer on gold are given.     

Amperometric immunosensor for probing complement III (C3) based on immobilizing C3 antibody to a nano-Au monolayer supported by sol-gel-derived carbon ceramic electrode

An electrochemical immunosensor based on nano-size particulate gold (nano-Au) monolayer as sensing interface has been developed for probing complement III (C₃). The thiol functional group-derived carbon ceramic electrode (CCE) was firstly constructed using (3-mercaptopropyl) trimethoxy silane (MPTMOS) as sol-gel monomer. The stable nano-Au monolayer was obtained resulting from covalent combination between nano-Au and thiol group on the surface of CCE. The nano-Au monolayer formed was utilized as a sensing platform for the immobilization of C₃ antibody (anti-C₃) and subsequent immunoreaction. A competitive immunoassay format was adopted with horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-C₃ as a tracer, hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide as the enzymatic substrates. The dynamic concentration range for C₃ is 0.08-5.6 μg ml⁻¹. The feasibility of regenerating nano-Au monolayer for consecutive assays was demonstrated by a simple chemical treatment after each determination. The high stability of formed nano-Au monolayer, readily adsorptive immobilization of antibody on nano-Au monolayer, efficient activity retention of loading immunoreactants as well as the simple operation for the formation of nano-Au monolayer make proposed methodology an attractive alternative for the designing new-type immunosensors.