Oligomers redox-conduction

II. BOTTOM-UP FABRICATION OF REDOX-CONDUCTING METAL COMPLEX OLIGOMERS ON AN ELECTRODE SURFACE AND THEIR REDOX CONDUCTION BEHAVIOR 389... 

In this chapter, we describe three different systems with which to construct electro- and photo-functional molecular assemblies on electrode surfaces. The first is the bottom-up fabrication of redox-conducting metal complex oligomers on an electrode surface and their characteristic redox conduction behavior, distinct from conventional redox polymers.11-13 The second is a photoelectric conversion system using a porphyrin and redoxconducting metal complex.14 The third is the use of a cyanobacterial photosystem I with molecular wires for a biophotosensor and photoelectrode.15 16 These systems will be the precursors of new types of molecular devices working in electrolyte solution. 

We describe here that the redox oligomer wires fabricated with the stepwise coordination method show characteristic electron transport behavior distinct from conventional redox polymers. Redox polymers are representative electron-conducting substances in which redox species are connected to form a polymer wire.21-25 The electron transport was treated according to the concept of redox conduction, based on the dilfusional motion of collective electron transfer pathways, composed of electron hopping terms and/or physical diffusion.17,18,26-30 In the characterization of redox conduction, the Cottrell equation can be applied to the initial current—time curve after the potential step in potential step chronoamperometry (PSCA), which causes the redox reaction of the redox polymer film ... 

Redox molecules are particularly interesting for an electrochemical approach, because they offer addressable (functional) energy states in an electrochemically accessible potential window, which can be tuned upon polarization between oxidized and reduced states. The difference in the junction conductance of the oxidized and the reduced forms of redox molecules may span several orders of magnitude. Examples of functional molecules used in these studies include porphyrins [31,153], viologens [33, 34,110,114,154,155], aniline and thiophene oligomers [113, 146, 156, 157], metal-organic terpyridine complexes [46, 158-163], carotenes [164], nitro derivatives of OPE (OPV) [165, 166], ferrocene [150, 167, 168], perylene tetracarboxylic bisimide [141, 169, 170], tetrathia-fulvalenes [155], fullerene derivatives [171], redox-active proteins [109, 172-174], and hydroxyquinones [175]. 

The related fully sulfonated, self-doped polymer poly(2-methoxyaniline-5-sulfonic acid) (PMAS 9) may be prepared under normal atmospheric pressure by the oxidation of 2-methoxyaniline-5-sulfonic acid (MAS) monomer with aqueous (NH4)2S208 in the presence of ammonia or pyridine (to permit dissolution of the MAS monomer).141 The polymerization pH was therefore >3.5. Subsequent studies showed that the product consisted of two fractions a major fraction with Mw of ca. 10,000 Da whose electrical conductivity and spectroscopic and redox switching properties were consistent with a PAn emeraldine salt, as well as a nonconducting, electroinactive oligomer (Mw ca. 2,000 Da).143 144 Pure samples of each of these materials can be obtained using cross-flow dialysis.145... 

An alternative model uses the Crank-Nicholson method to generate a voltammogram that consists of a layer with a series of microscopic formal potentials, most situated at O.OV and the rest equally spaced 50 mV apart. This also yields a voltanmiogram (Fig. 6.16) similar to the experimental one (Fig. 6.14). The basis for this is the fact that different oligomers of different chain length possess a range of redox potentials. Thus at least qualitatively, two models may account for the electrochemical behavior of a conducting polymer coated on an electrode. 

Future challenging aspects involve the design of molecular cables in order to directly connect the active site of an enzyme with the electrode surface. For this purpose, either the overall electron-transfer distance can be subdivided by integration of redox relays into the monolayer (Fig. 12b) or parts of the nonconducting alkyl spacer may be replaced by conducting oligomers (Fig. 12c). 

Electropolymerization of star-shaped oligomers 5.18a-c resulted in the formation of highly redox active, cross-linked hyperbranched polymers which led to systems with good conductivities, indicating the presence of multiple pathways for charge carriers provided by the branching units [472],... 

Table 4.8 Molecular structure, oxidation and reduction peak potentials and maximum absorption of thienyl-S,S-dioxide-EDOT co-oligomers oxidation and reduction redox potentials, electrochemical energy gap, maximum absorption, optical energy gap and p-conductivity of the corresponding polymers obtained by anodic polymerization...

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