EASTERN NAZARENE COLLEGE

MANY DIFFERENCES, ONE FAITH

   Research, Dr. Wooster   

Long-range electron transfer at Self Assembled monolayers

              The ability to control the nature of the electrode surface through chemical modification has long been used to the electrochemist’s advantage. One technique includes chemically modifying the surface of a gold electrode by attaching, through spontaneous adsorption, long chain compounds such as alkane thiols. The attachment of a redox-active head group, such as ferrocene, to the end of the alkane thiol chain renders it possible to study the effects of long range electron transfer.

These systems are useful in that their chemistry can be varied in three main ways: i) the length of the intervening chain can be altered to study the distance dependence of electron transfer, ii) the chemical makeup of the chain can be altered to study the mechanism of electron transfer, and iii) the total coverage of the electroactive head group can be varied so as to study the concentration dependence.  In addition, the chemistry of the head group can be altered and specific electrochemical sensors developed.

Electrochemical techniques have been applied to the development of chemical sensors for a wide range of applications. In recent years, the improvement in the sensitivity of electrochemical instrumentation has opened the door for studies involving unique electrode designs and in very diverse media. Studies of long-range electron transfer in organic-monolayers on electrodes provide an avenue for the development of electrochemical sensors with chemical specificity. Monitoring chemical processes in living animals for example is a difficult task due to the complex nature of the matrix involved and the low concentrations of active species. lp give us better insight into our world.

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