Fabrication of a stable, switchable An/SAM-Au electrode with tunable electron transfer and excellent electrochemical properties

This paper describes the electrochemical properties, such as electrode reactivity, and interfacial capacitance of an anthracene/self-assembled monolayer (An/SAM) Au electrode prepared through controllable immersion of the dodecanethiol (C12SH) SAM-Au electrode in a THF solution of anthracene (An). The C12SH SAM almost totally blocks heterogeneous electron transfer between the bare Au electrode and Fe(CN)63−/4− in solution, but adsorption of the An molecules onto the SAM-Au electrode restores electron transfer. The prepared An/SAM-Au electrode possesses good reactivity without a remarkable barrier to heterogeneous electron transfer. On the other hand, the electroactive form of the An/SAM-Au electrode can be converted back to the non-electroactive form by immersing the electrode into pure THF.