Bifunctional electroactive nanostructured membranes

The advent of techniques based upon the spontaneous assembly of different materials with control over molecular architecture has afforded the fabrication of composite thin films for many nanotechnological applications. The layer-by-layer technique (LbL), in particular, has largely been used in the molecular level processing of nanohybrid systems in the form of multilayers, owing to its low cost and experimental simplicity. In this study we describe the fabrication of a novel, bifunctional film containing platinum nanoparticles/polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers. Pt nanoparticles were chemically synthesized/stabilized in the presence of PAMAM dendrimers and incorporated in LbL films in conjunction with nickel tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine (NiTsPc). A metallophthalocyanine was chosen because of its well-defined redox activity. Indium tin oxide (ITO)-covered glass plates were used as substrates for film deposition. The nanocomposites displayed high electrocatalytic activity toward dopamine and hydrogen peroxide molecules, two compounds with dissimilar chemical properties.