An Advanced Experiment for Studying Electron Transfer and Charge Storage on Surfaces Modified with Metallic Complexes

Abstract

Data-storage devices can be fabricated by modifying different surfaces with metallic complexes. The required time to write information and the time that information remains is crucial for the performance of the electronic device. We illustrate this technological application of molecules by adsorbing a polyoxometalate on graphite and characterization by ac voltammetry and open circuit potential amperometry. A charge-transfer constant from the surface to the electrode of 118 s −1 and a charge-storage half-life of 42 s were calculated by these methodologies. This laboratory can be easily performed and adapted in any advanced electrochemistry or materials science laboratory.

Alternative voltammetry on self-assembled monolayers: An original approach to estimate the electrochemical electron-transfer rate constants when electroactive adsorbed species interact

“…Based on Laviron's results, the Creager and Wooster's approach [10,26,27] uses the Randles equivalent circuit (Fig. 3), the most adapted for modelling a redox-active monolayer immobilized on electrode surface.…”