Grafting of Thin Organic Films by Electrooxidation of Arylhydrazines

Abstract

Anodic oxidation of arylhydrazines in aqueous solution leads to formation of a chemisorbed monolayer on the electrode surface of both glassy carbon and gold. The grafting process occurs in a three-electron process, in which the arylhydrazine is oxidized to the actual grafting agent, that is, the corresponding aryl radical, via the formation of the aryldiazene as intermediate. Analysis of the modified surface by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy shows conclusively that the bonding to the surface does not occur through the hydrazine group but rather through the aryl group after expulsion of nitrogen. In general, the method is found to be tolerant toward variations in the experimental conditions, but at high pH (>7), the grafting rate increases considerably and multilayers may be formed. The more efficient grafting at high pH can be attributed to an increase of the rate of the deprotonation steps in the oxidation mechanism, the result of ...