A simple method to functionalize the surface of plasma electrolysis produced inorganic coatings for growing different organic structure

Abstract

Despite growing research activity on hybrid organic–inorganic materials for new applications, it remains challenging to promote the growth and examine the morphologies of organic structures on porous material surfaces. In this study, the self-assembly of an organic synergy containing 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) and 1.10-phenanthroline (Phen) was achieved on a porous material surface treated by plasma electrolysis in the presence of a buffer solution (pH = ~6.86). These conditions enabled organically synergistic reactions on the porous inorganic surface with the interface motifs in an alkaline medium, forming a flower-like hierarchy with a sealed platform. Density functional theory calculations were performed to investigate the synergistic effect between organic compounds and to identify the active sites of the heteroatoms for obtaining insights that can be explained by the self-assembly of 8-HQ and Phen on the porous inorganic surface. This hybrid architecture exhibited outstanding chemical stability and electrochemical performance towards aggressive solutions.