Electro-deposition of thin cellulose films at boron-doped diamond substrates

Cellulose films of variable thickness are electro-deposited from aqueous alkaline thiourea solution onto polished boron-doped diamond substrates in an anodic process. Films with “net-like” topography are formed and shown to consist of both cellulose-I and cellulose-II components. Properties of these films are investigated.When immersed in aqueous electrolyte solution, ion partitioning into the electro-deposited cellulose films occurs. The accumulation and release of two aqueous redox systems, Ru(NH3)63+/2+ and methylviologen2+/+, is reported. Relatively slow diffusion of these cations is observed within cellulose (approximately 5 orders of magnitude slower when compared to diffusion in aqueous media). For the methylviologen2+/+ redox system partitioning leads to irreversibility in the voltammetric response and to the preferred formation of aggregates immobilized within the cellulose film.