According to the invention organic monolayer films are applied to an electrically conductive substrate, resulting in an electrode which can be used in electrochemical processes. The said film serves as ultrathin membrane and allows certain selected species to approach the substrate and be detected. The film comprises active species which are selective towards specific species contained in mixture with others and a blocking surface sealing component. It is also possible to use one compound serving both purposes. The components of the film are attached to the substrate by a variety of means: adsorption, chemisorption, electro-chemical deposition.

Ionic recognition and selective response in self assembling monolayer membranes on electrodes

The concept of altering the chemical structure of an electrode surface with a view to controlling the course of an electrochemical reaction was pioneered some 15 years ago by Lane and Hubbard. This promising new areas of electrochemistry rapidly attracted interest, the major objective being to tailor spectifically the electrode material in such a way as to promote the desired electrochemical reaction. The possibility of making electrodes with specific chemical, electrochemical, or optical surface properties gave rise to numerous possible applications of these modified electrodes in the fields of electro- and photocatalysis, electrosynthesis, electroanalysis, molecular devices, and electrochromism. Among the numerous chemical functions that could undergo electrochemical polymerization, the pyrrole group is exceptionally convenient for carrying out the coating of electrode surfaces by nonpassifying polymer films containing catalytic and/or redox active centers. Furthermore, polypyrrolic films are characterized by a long-term chemical stability, which allows their productive use in various applications. An account of this topic, mainly devoted to electrocatalytic applications, will be given here. A few typical extra examples, including bio- and electroanalysis, microelectronics, and electroreleasing devices, are also presented to emphasize the versatility of this type of polymeric coating.

Functionalized polypyrroles. New molecular materials for electrocatalysis and related applications

Coordination chemistry in two dimensions: chemically modified electrodes

Polypyrrole films containing metal complexes : syntheses and applications

Conducting polymer gas sensors Part III: Results for four different polymers and five different vapours

An ESCA study of polypyrole oxidation

Polymerisation electrolytique par oxydation de complexes bipyridine de fer et de ruthenium du pyrrole fonctionnalise

Anodic electrodeposition of thin films of polypyrrole functionalized with metal bipyridyl redox centers

A platinum electrode was coated with an electroactive polypyrrole film containing tris(bipyridyl)-iron(II) or -ruthenium(II) redox centres and the film surface composition has been analysed by ESCA.

Electroactive thin films from the anodic electropolymerisation of iron(II) and ruthenium(II) tris(N-bipyridylpyrrole) complexes

The direct electropolymerization of a pyrrole-substituted ferrocene

Thin films of an electroactive polymer may be obtained from the anodic electropolymerisation of an N-substituted ferrocenylpyrrole. Direct electropolymerisation yields a film which exhibits rectifying behaviour but whose electroactivity decays. Co-polymerisation with N-methylpyrrole gives a film with a stable Fc–Fc+ response.

Jeffrey G. Eaves

Papers

An ESCA study of polypyrole oxidation

Anodic electrodeposition of thin films of polypyrrole functionalized with metal bipyridyl redox centers

Electroactive thin films from the anodic electropolymerisation of iron(II) and ruthenium(II) tris(N-bipyridylpyrrole) complexes

The direct electropolymerization of a pyrrole-substituted ferrocene

Redox-active films of ferrocene covalently attached to polypyrrole