Long-Range Electronic Coupling between Ferrocene and Gold in Alkanethiolate-based Monolayers on Electrodes

Abstract

High-speed cyclic voltammetry was used to measure rates for ferrocene oxidation/reduction in a series of self-assembled monolayers formed by coadsorption of N-(mercaptoalkyl)ferrocenecarboxamide ((C5H5)Fe(C5H4)CONH(CH2)nSH where n = 7−10, and 15) with mercapto alcohol (HO(CH2)n+1SH where n = 7−10, and 15) on gold. Standard electron-transfer rate constants were obtained as a function of chain length and from these rate constants, a β value (describing the exponential decay of rate with adsorbate chain length) of 1.1 methylene-1 or 0.85 A-1 was obtained. The rate data were also used to estimate coupling factors, |VAB|, describing the long-range electronic coupling between the immobilized ferrocene groups and the underlying gold electrode. Electronic coupling factors varied from a low of 0.06 cm-1 for the long-chain monolayer (18 bonds in the pathway linking ferrocene to the electrode) to a high of 6.5 cm-1 for the short-chain monolayer (10 bonds linking ferrocene to the electrode). The latter value is in go...