Chemical stability and electroconductivity of 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane salts containing polycation polymers

The chemical and electrical stabilities of 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) salts composed of neutral TCNQ (TCNQ^?), anion radicals of TCNQ(TCNQ^?·), and polycation polymers were studied by measuring their electronic spectra and resistivities (ρ). The results of spectral and chemical analyses confirmed that TCNQ^?· in TCNQ salts was decomposed to α,α-dicyano-p-toluoylcyanide (DTC^?) as the final product by the intermediate formation of TCNQ^? and p-phenylenediamalononitrile (H₂TCNQ) and that H₂O played an important part in the reaction. From these results it was concluded that TCNQ salts are decomposed by two reaction processes: The resistivity of TCNQ salts increases with the decomposition of TCNQ^?·. Studies on electroconductivity of TCNQ salts assume that the change in resistivity arises from the loss of unpaired electrons which become conduction carriers and also from the disintegration of the TCNQ^? and TCNQ^?· complex which forms the conduction path.     

Intercalation Compounds as Inner Reference Electrodes for Reproducible and Robust Solid‐Contact Ion‐Selective Electrodes

With billions of assays performed every year, ion‐selective electrodes (ISEs) provide a simple and fast technique for clinical analysis of blood electrolytes. The development of cheap, miniaturized solid‐contact (SC‐)ISEs for integrated systems, however, remains a difficult balancing act between size, robustness, and reproducibility, because the defined interface potentials between the ion‐selective membrane and the inner reference electrode (iRE) are often compromised. We demonstrate that target cation‐sensitive intercalation compounds, such as partially charged lithium iron phosphate (LFP), can be applied as iREs of the quasi‐first kind for ISEs. The symmetrical response of the interface potentials towards target cations ultimately results in ISEs with high robustness towards the inner filling (ca. 5 mV dec^?1 conc.) as well as robust and miniaturized SC‐ISEs. They have a predictable and stable potential derived from the LiFePO₄/FePO₄ redox couple (97.0±1.5 mV after 42 days).     

Ab initio SCF MO calculation of ionisation energies and charge distributions of TCNQ and its mono- and divalent anions

Ab initio SCF MO calculations using a contracted double zeta basis set of 168 gaussian type functions were performed on TCNQ⁺, TCNQ, TCNQ^? and TCNQ^2?. The ionisation potentials obtained from total energy differences are generally 0.25-0.50 eV higher than the corresponding negative orbital energies from the TCNQ calculation and in satisfactory agreement with experimental results. The energy of the disproportionation reaction 2TCNQ^?-TCNQ+TCNQ^2? is calculated to be 4.62 eV. The charge distributions as measured by the gross atomic populations generally deviate from those obtained in earlier π-electron calculations as a consequence of taking the σ-electron distribution into account. The atomic charges are in good agreement with the limited experimental data available.     

Synthesis and characterization of microstructured sheets of semiconducting Ca[TCNQ]2 via redox-driven solid-solid phase transformation of TCNQ microcrystals

Microstructured sheets of semiconducting Ca[TCNQ]₂ (TCNQ = 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane) have been synthesized via electrochemically driven (TCNQ)/Ca[TCNQ]₂ solid-solid phase transformation that occurs upon one-electron reduction of solid TCNQ, mechanically attached to an electrode surface, in the presence of an aqueous Ca²⁺ _(aq) electrolyte solution. Voltammetric probing of the electrochemically irreversible TCNQ/Ca[TCNQ]₂ interconversion revealed that it is highly dependent on scan rate and Ca²⁺ _(aq) electrolyte concentration. This voltammetric behavior, supported by double potential-step chronoamperometric evidence, clearly attests that formation of Ca[TCNQ]₂ takes place via a rate-determining nucleation/growth process, which involves ingress of Ca²⁺ _(aq) cations into the TCNQ^·? crystal lattice at the triple phase TCNQ/TCNQ^·? _(s)│GC_(s)│Ca²⁺ _(aq) electrolyte junction. The overall redox process associated with this chemically reversible solid-solid transformation can be described by the equation: TCNQ⁰ _(S)?+?2e^??+?Ca²⁺ _(aq) ? {Ca[TCNQ]₂}_(S). SEM characterization of the morphology of the generated Ca[TCNQ]₂ material showed the formation of microstructured sheets, which are substantially different from those of parent TCNQ crystals and the needle-shaped crystals of group I cations (M⁺?=?Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs). The kinetic and thermodynamic implications of the ΔE _p and E _m values as a function of scan rate are discussed in terms of nucleation–growth and their relevance to those reported for the conceptually related group I cations and binary M[TCNQ]₂ (M²⁺?=?Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni)-based coordination polymers.     

Micro Solid‐Contact Ion‐Selective Electrode Using a Carbon Nanotube Tower as Ion‐to‐Electron Transducer and Conductive Substrate

Solid contact (SC) ion‐selective electrodes (ISEs) have been recognized as the next generation of ISEs. In this work, the electrical conductivity and mechanical strength of a carbon nanotube (CNT) tower enable it to play the dual roles of transducer and substrate for micro SC‐ISEs. The electrode had a close to Nernstian slope of 35 mV/decade a_Ca2+, a linear range of four orders of magnitude of calcium ion activity (10^?5.6 to 10^?1.8 M), and a detection limit of 1.6×10^?6 M. The simplified fabrication by a one‐step drop casting makes miniaturizing SC‐ISEs and fabricating sensor arrays easier to achieve.     

Probing TCNQ‐mediated Metal Reduction Reactions at Liquid‐liquid Interface with SECM

Metal reduction at the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES) has been studied with scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). Metal cations in the aqueous phase are reduced by 7,7,8,8‐tetracyanoquinodimethane anion (TCNQ^?) residing in the oil phase, methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK). TCNQ^? is formed at the SECM tip by reducing TCNQ, which results in a positive feedback loop between the tip and the ITIES when an electron is donated to a metal cation. The effect of the Galvani potential difference on the rate of the interfacial electron transfer was investigated, establishing the potential difference either by an additional substrate electrode in the aqueous phase or by an a common ion in both phases. It is shown that the Galvani potential difference as a driving force does enable TCNQ^? mediated Cu²⁺ reduction. Finite element method (FEM) simulations were run to provide information on the reaction kinetics and stoichiometry.     

Potentiometric sensors for Ag+ based on poly(3-octylthiophene) (POT)

Potentiometric ion sensors were prepared from the conjugated polymer poly(3-octylthiopene) (POT). The influence of additional membrane components, including silver 7,8,9,10,11,12-hexabromocarborane (AgCB₁₁H₆Br₆) and potassium tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate (KTpFPB) as lipophilic salts, and [2.2.2]p,p,p-cyclophane as silver ionophore, was studied. The membrane components were dissolved in chloroform and membranes were prepared by solution casting on glassy carbon disk electrodes. For comparison, POT-based potentiometric sensors were also prepared by galvanostatic electrosynthesis of POT from the 3-octylthiophene monomer. All the POT-based ion sensors fabricated by solution casting show Nernstian or slightly sub-Nernstian response to Ag⁺, even those based only on POT without any additional membrane components. The potentiometric response of electrochemically polymerized POT depends on the film thickness and the doping anion incorporated in the conducting polymer during polymerization. It is of particular importance that chemically synthesized undoped POT (without any additives) shows a sensitive and selective potentiometric response to Ag⁺ ions although UV-vis results show that POT remains in its undoped form, i.e., POT is not oxidized by Ag⁺. This indicates that undoped POT can exhibit good sensitivity and selectivity to Ag⁺ also in the absence of metallic silver in the polymer film. In this case, the potentiometric response is related to interactions between Ag⁺ and the conjugated polymer backbone. Presented at the 4th Baltic Conference on Electrochemistry, Greifswald, 13–16, 2005     

Spectroelectrochemistry of tetracyanoquinodimethane modified electrodes

Thin films of a tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) oligomer adsorbed on optically transparent platinum electrodes have been studied using spectroelectrochemical techniques. In contact with aqueous electrolytes the electron aceptor sites in these modified electrodes are reduced to mixtures of the radical aion, TCNQ^?, the dimer radical anion, TCNQ^2?₂, the dimer dianion, TCNQ₂^2?, and the dianion, TCNQ^2∮. Electrolyte effects on the reduction process and the stability of the reduced films were studied. Both monovalent and divalent ions exhibited Nernstian potential dependence, and in the presence of Ca²⁺ ions the dianion state was stabilized. Counterion effects are suggested as the origin of variations in the wave shape in multcycle voltammograms.     

A calixarene-based ion-selective electrode for thallium(I) detection

Three new calixarene Tl⁺ ionophores have been utilized in Tl⁺ ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) yielding Nernstian response in the concentration range of 10⁻²–10⁻⁶ M TlNO₃ with a non-optimized filling solution in a conventional liquid contact ISE configuration. The complex formation constants (log β_IL) for two of the calixarene derivatives with thallium(I) (i.e. 6.44 and 5.85) were measured using the sandwich membrane technique, with the other ionophore immeasurable due to eventual precipitation of the ionophore during these long-term experiments. Furthermore, the unbiased selectivity coefficients for these ionophores displayed excellent selectivity against Zn²⁺, Ca²⁺, Ba²⁺, Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Al³⁺ with moderate selectivity against Pb²⁺, Li⁺, Na⁺, H⁺, K⁺, NH₄⁺ and Cs⁺, noting that silver was the only significant interferent with these calixarene-based ionophores. When optimizing the filling solution in a liquid contact ISE, it was possible to achieve a lower limit of detection of approximately 8 nM according to the IUPAC definition. Last, the new ionophores were also evaluated in four solid-contact (SC) designs leading to Nernstian response, with the best response noted with a SC electrode utilizing a gold substrate, a poly(3-octylthiophene) (POT) ion-to-electron transducer and a poly(methyl methacrylate)–poly(decyl methacrylate) (PMMA–PDMA) co-polymer membrane. This electrode exhibited a slope of 58.4 mV decade⁻¹ and a lower detection limit of 30.2 nM. Due to the presence of an undesirable water layer and/or leaching of redox mediator from the graphite redox buffered SC, a coated wire electrode on gold and graphite redox buffered SC yielded grossly inferior detection limits against the polypyrrole/PVC SC and POT/PMMA–PDMA SC ISEs that did not display signs of a water layer or leaching of SC ingredients into the membrane.     

Ion‐selective Electrodes with 3D Nanostructured Conducting Polymer Solid Contact

Until now both ion‐to‐electron transducers as well as large surface area nanostructured conducting materials were successfully used as solid contacts for polymer‐based ion‐selective electrodes. We were interested to explore the combination of these two approaches by fabricating ordered electrically conducting polymer (ECP) nanostructures using 3D nanosphere lithography and electrosynthesis to provide a high surface area and capacitive interface for solid contact ion‐selective electrodes (SC‐ISEs). For these studies we used poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT(PSS)) films with 750 nm diameter interconnected pores as the intermediate layer between a glassy carbon electrode and a Ag⁺ ‐selective polymeric membrane. We also investigated the feasibility of loading the voids created in the polymer film with a lipophilic redox mediator (1,1’‐dimethylferrocene) to provide the respective ISEs with well‐defined/controllable E⁰ values. These expectations were fulfilled as the standard deviation of E⁰ values were reduced with almost an order of magnitude for 3D nanostructured SC‐ISEs filled with the redox mediator as compared to their redox mediator‐free analogs. The detrimental effect of the redox mediator extraction into the plasticized PVC‐based ion‐selective membrane (ISM) was efficiently suppressed by replacing the PVC‐based ISMs with a low diffusivity silicone rubber matrix.     

A TTF–TCNQ Electrode as a Voltammetric Analogue of an Ion‐Selective Electrode

A TTF‐TCNQ/PVC composite electrode is proposed as a voltammetric cation and anion sensor. The electrode relies on the principle that, during redox processes involving the TCNQ^0/? couple for cations and the TTF^+/0 couple for anions, electrolyte ions are included into lattice sites in the charge neutralization process. This voltammetric ion‐sensor provides results that are similar to those of sensors based on two electrodes (viz. one modified with TCNQ for cations and another modified with TTF for anions) but with some practical advantages over them.     

The Influence of TCNQ0 Content in TCNQ Salts on Polycations with Sulfonium Groups in the Main Chain

The influence of the TCNQ⁰ content defined as x = [TCNQ⁰]/[TCNQ^?] on the properties of TCNQ complex salts containing S⁺ in the main chains are presented and discussed. Both the specific resistivity and the thermal activation energy of the conductivity had a minimum for x close to 0.9. The decrease of resistivity with an increase in the x ratio is explained by a decrease in the dimer concentration. The increase of resistivity for x increasing above 0.9 is explained by the formation of crystalline TCNQ⁰ domains. The discussion is based on ESR, optic absorption, and crystallinity data.     

Significance of redistribution reactions detected by in situ atomic force microscopy during early stages of fast scan rate redox cycling experiments at a solid 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane-glassy carbon electrode-aqueous (electrolyte) interface

The reduction of solid 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) at an electrode-TCNQ-aqueous (electrolyte) is complex, irrespective of whether the solid on the electrode surface is attached by direct adherence or formed by electrochemical deposition. In order to understand the origin of reaction pathways that accompany the [TCNQ]^0/− process, fast scan rate (0.1 V s⁻¹) redox cycling and potential step experiments on TCNQ mechanically attached to a glassy carbon electrode placed in aqueous solution containing 0.1 M electrolyte (KCl, CsCl, or Et₄NCl) have been monitored by the technique of in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM). The shapes of cycling voltammograms are consistent with the presence of a mixture of diffusion and surface processes in the initial cycles. AFM results show that, during the early stage of the redox cycling experiments, electrochemical reduction of TCNQ to sparingly soluble TCNQ⁻ is accompanied by a redistribution process. This rearrangement results in the transformation of arrays of almost amorphous solid to a lower energy microcrystalline state which has a more thin film-type appearance. When CsCl is the electrolyte, long needle-type crystals are detected by the AFM method after long periods of redox cycling. The identity of the cation in the supporting electrolyte and the solubility of the reduced salt formed by reduction of TCNQ affect the nature of the voltammetry observed during early stages of redox cycling. When the redistribution process is completed and the stable crystalline phase is formed, the voltammetry of the [TCNQ]^0/− couple is predominantly controlled by a nucleation-growth mechanism. Received: 8 March 1999 / Accepted: 12 April 1999     

Reactivity of tetracyanoquinodimethane with cobalt(II) chloride and bis(diphylphospino)methane in air

The reactions of CoCl₂·6H₂O, dppm (bis(diphenylphosphino)methane) and TCNQ (7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane), with different ratios of the components, provided three new compounds, [Co(dppmdo)₃][TCNQ]₂1 (dppmdo = P,P′-dioxo-bis(diphenylphosphinyl)methane), [Co(dppmdo)₃][(μ-TCNQ)-CoCl₃] 2, and [Co(dppmdo)₃][(μ-DCBE)-CoCl₃] 3 (DCBE = p-dicyanomethyl-benzoic ethyl ester). These products were characterized by IR, UV–Vis and UV–Vis-NIR spectra, X-ray crystallography, magnetic susceptibility measurements and cyclic voltammograms. 1 and 2 reveal low-energy transitions in the near-infrared region, which can be attributed to intra-ligand transitions involving radical anions (TCNQ/TCNQ⁻). It is interesting to note that, except for the redox potentials which are anodically shifted, indicating that it is easier to reduce TCNQ in 1 and 2 than the free TCNQ molecule, the electrochemistry of compounds 1 and 2 resemble that of the independent organic acceptor TCNQ. The magnetic properties suggest that an amount of electron transfer has occurred from the Co^II complex, [Co(dppmdo)₃]²⁺, to the TCNQ⁻ anions in 1; an amount of electron transfer also has occurred from the Co^II cation to the TCNQ⁻ anion via a cyanide-bridge in 2; there is a mixture of spin transition of Co^II ions and antiferromagnetic coupling between Co^II ions in 3.     

Ion-Selective Electrodes Based on Bilayer Film Coating

The electrode characteristics of ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) for K⁺, Na⁺, NH₄ ⁺, and Ca²⁺ based on bilayer film coatings, where the inner layer films are electroactive electropolymerized ones and the outer layer films are composed of conventional ion-sensitive materials, have been examined. These ISEs of the coated-wire electrode type have no conventional internal reference solution and reference electrode, but the inner films may be considered to function as the “internal standard solution.” The ion selectivity coefficients and the activity range showing Nernstian response were almost comparable to those of conventional liquid-membrane electrodes. The bilayer-coated ISEs showed insensitivity to O₂ and CO₂, long-term stability, and little drift. It was also found that the electrode performance is practically unchanged after sterilization in an autoclave. The results demonstrate that the bilayer-coated ISEs examined are promising for the determination of K⁺, Na⁺, NH₄ ⁺, or Ca²⁺ activity in biological and environmental systems.     

Determination of the state of charge of TCNQ0/− mixed-valence complexes based on a spectroscopic model. Application to thin films of electrocrystallised tetraethylammonium complexes

A simple and inexpensive method is proposed as a powerful and rapid tool for the determination of the state of charge of mixed-valence compounds. Based on UV-spectrometry and integration of voltammetric peaks, the stoichiometric ratio between both oxidation states of TCNQ (that is TCNQ^0/−) has been determined for thin films obtained by electrocrystallisation on a glassy carbon electrode. This method permits such determination, regardless of the experimental conditions and, thus, it can be used to establish the reproducibility of the methods of synthesis of mixed-valence compounds by using simple spectroscopic measurements. The method has been validated with the well-known Cs₂TCNQ₃ system and applied to ethylammonium salts of unknown structure.     

Multiple Active Sites: Lithium Storage Mechanism of Cu‐TCNQ as an Anode Material for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Recently, carboxylate metal‐organic framework (MOF) materials were reported to perform well as anode materials for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs); however, the presumed lithium storage mechanism of MOFs is controversial. To gain insight into the mechanism of MOFs as anode materials for LIBs, a self‐supported Cu‐TCNQ (TCNQ: 7,7,8,8‐tetracyanoquinodimethane) film was fabricated via an in situ redox routine, and directly used as electrode for LIBs. The first discharge and charge specific capacities of the self‐supported Cu‐TCNQ electrode are 373.4 and 219.4 mAh g^?1, respectively. After 500 cycles, the reversible specific capacity of Cu‐TCNQ reaches 280.9 mAh g^?1 at a current density of 100 mA g^?1. Mutually validated data reveal that the high capacity is ascribed to the multiple‐electron redox conversion of both metal ions and ligands, as well as the reversible insertion and desertion of Li⁺ ions into the benzene rings of ligands. This work raises the expectation for MOFs as electrode materials of LIBs by utilizing multiple active sites and provides new clues for designing improved electrode materials for LIBs.     

Direct Electrochemistry of Cytochrome c on EDTA-ZrO2 Organic-inorganic Hybrid Film Modified ElectrodesState Key Laborator3.＂ of Chemo／Biosensing and Chemometrics, Hunan Universit3; Changsha. Hunan 410082. China

A composite film of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA)‐ZrO₂ organic‐inorganic hybrid was prepared based on the chelation between Zr(IV) and EDTA. The direct electrochemical behavior of cytochrome c (cyt. c) at the hybrid film modified glassy carbon electrodes was investigated. The immobilized EDTA can promote the redox of heme in horse heart cyt. c which gives rise to a pair of reversible redox peaks with a formal potential of 40 mV (vs. SCE). The peak current increased linearly with the increase of cyt. c concentration in the range of 1.6 × 10^?6—8.0 × 10^?5 mol·L^?1 with the correlation coefficient of 0.996. Further investigation shows that metal ions can impede the electron transfer of cyt. c. The impediment capability of metal ions depends on their coordination capability with EDTA and their valence number.     

Highly Reproducible Flexible Ion-selective Electrodes for the Detection of Sodium and Potassium in Artificial Sweat

It is well known that potentiometric sensors provide a versatile, cost-effective, and efficient platform for wearable applications. Unfortunately, mass production and commercialization of such devices is often constrained by the requirement of a calibration step, which is due to the poor sensor-to-sensor reproducibility and the need of conditioning the electrodes in the analyte before use. Herein, we fabricated calibration-free flexible sensors including ion-selective electrode and reference electrode by integrating single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with poly(3-octylthiophene) (POT) and applying on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. The developed sodium and potassium ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) display excellent repeatability, selectivity, stability as well as high sensor-to-sensor reproducibility, with a standard deviation of as low as 1.0 mV in artificial sweat microliter samples volume.     

Photomagnetic Response in Highly Conductive Iron(II) Spin‐Crossover Complexes with TCNQ Radicals

Co‐crystallization of a cationic Fe^II complex with a partially charged TCNQ^.δ? (7,7′,8,8′‐tetracyanoquinodimethane) radical anion has afforded molecular materials that behave as narrow band‐gap semiconductors, [Fe(tpma)(xbim)](X)(TCNQ)_1.5?DMF (X=ClO₄^? or BF₄^?; tpma=tris(2‐pyridylmethyl)amine, xbim=1,1′‐(α,α′‐o‐xylyl)‐2,2′‐bisimidazole). Remarkably, these complexes also exhibit temperature‐and light‐driven spin crossover at the Fe^II center, and are thus the first structurally defined magnetically bistable semiconductors assembled with the TCNQ^.δ? radical anion. Transport measurements reveal the conductivity of 0.2 S cm^?1 at 300 K, with the low activation energy of 0.11 eV.