Molecular motion within polymer-coated electrodes

3 Molecular motion within polymer-coated, electrodes 

The molecular motion of redox couples within polymer-coated electrodes has recently been investigated by making use of both nitroxide spin probes and various cationic spin probes [94-97]. Spin probes, such as the nitroxide probe TEMPO (see Sect. 2.1.2) and its derivatives, have well-defined electrochemistry and their ESR spectra in viscous media exhibit effects due to incomplete rotational averaging of the g and hyperfine coupling constant tensors. Analysis of the spectra [98] allows deductions to be made concerning the molecular rotation. Such analysis has been performed for spin probes incorporated into various polymer films. 

Nation, a perfluorinated ion exchange polymer in which cationic species may electrostatically bind, has found a wide applicability in the design of various polymer-modified electrodes for diverse uses. The behaviour of vari- 

The modification of electrodes with PVC membranes has found applicability in ion selective electrode work [99] (so-called coated wire electrode ). The molecular motion of species within such electrodes has been investigated by Compton and Waller [100]. Using a range of derivatives of the nitroxide spin probe TEMPO, they were able to show how the rotational correlational time was dependent upon the molecular volume of the probe and, by use of variable-temperature apparatus, how this varied with temperature. The effect of various plasticizers upon the molecular motion within the PVC membrane was investigated, rotational correlational times being dependent upon the nature of the plasticizer and the loading level. The effect of loading level upon the correlation time was shown to correlate with data obtained by Compton Maxwell [101] for the response times of K+ ion selective electrodes based upon PVC modified electrodes. 

---