Self-assembly and multistage redox chemistry of strong electron acceptors on metal surfaces: polynitrofluorenes on gold and platinum

Langmuir. 2005 Sep 13;21(19):8824-31. doi: 10.1021/la051061j.

Abstract

Nitrofluoren-9-one and nitrofluoren-9-dicyanomethylene electron acceptors 7, 8, and 11 functionalized with a terminal thioctic acid unit have been synthesized from 2,4,5,7-tetranitrofluorenone. The self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of these compounds on gold, formed via gold-sulfur interaction, have been fully characterized by electrochemical, FTIR, ellipsometry, and contact angle measurements. Cyclic voltammetry of SAMs reveals two reversible single-electron reduction waves for fluorenone derivatives 7a,b and 11, and three single-electron reductions for the dicyanomethylene-fluorene 8b, providing the first observation of a radical trianion species in SAMs. The tendency of the thioctic anchor to form multilayers via disulfide links is noted.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Electrochemistry
  • Electrons
  • Fluorenes / chemical synthesis
  • Fluorenes / chemistry*
  • Gold / chemistry*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Structure
  • Nitro Compounds / chemical synthesis
  • Nitro Compounds / chemistry*
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Platinum / chemistry*
  • Polymers / chemical synthesis
  • Polymers / chemistry*
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Solutions / chemistry
  • Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared / methods
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Fluorenes
  • Nitro Compounds
  • Polymers
  • Solutions
  • Platinum
  • Gold