Charge trapping reactions in bilayer electrodes

The cyclic voltammetric peaks for charging trapping and untrapping reactions between the inner and outer redox polymer films of five bilayer electrodes are compared to a theory for control of the rate of charge trapping by electron diffusion rates in the inner polymer film. The five bilayer electrodes use various different redox polymer films (electropolymerized poly-pyridine complexes of Fe, Ru, and Os, and polyvinylferrocene) arranged in different orders. The currents on the rising edge of the bilayer trapping and untrapping peaks follow the electron diffusion theory up to ca. 80% of the peak current; currents thereafter are controlled by another process(es). The analysis yields values for the electron diffusion constants in the inner bilayer polymer films, which agree with one another for different bilayers having the same inner film polymer films and which also agree with independent determinations by other methods. Two of the bilayers are made from the same two polymers, arranged in different inner-outer order. These bilayers also illustrate the occurrence of a “leak reaction”, in which charge trapped in the outer film is discharged via a thermodynamically unfavorable electron transfer reaction with the inner polymer film.