Modified electrodes from functionalized nanoporous xerogel coatings, prepared by using the electrochemically assisted self-assembly (EASA) method, containing ferrocene moieties grafted onto vertically oriented pores perpendicular to an indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrode, have been prepared and studied. The electrochemical behavior of these new materials exhibits the fastest charge transfer ever observed in oxide-modified electrodes. The cyclic voltammetry curves allow us, however, to discriminate two types of ferrocene species inside the coatings and to determine the rate constants for the electron exchange between the ITO electrode and the coatings, with the help of simulations and an advanced software package¹.

Fig. 1: Scheme depicting the electrode building.

While it is not clear why the charge transfer is so fast, some hypotheses will be presented along.

¹ P. Audebert, N. Vila, C. Allain, F. Maisonneuve, A. Walcarius, and P. Hapiot ChemElectroChem 2015, 2,1695.