Electrochemical response of ferrocenium filled calix[4]arene capsules in solution and immobilized on gold

Hydrogen-bonded dimers of tetra-urea calix[4]arenes are able to include ferrocenium ions as a guest. Heterodimeric capsules are exclusively formed in 1:1 mixtures of tetra-arylurea calix[4]arene 1 with tetra-tosylurea calix[4]arene 2. Sulfide groups attached via spacers on the urea rim of 1 allow their binding to metal surfaces rendering simultaneously their dissociation more difficult. Thus, the electrochemical response of encapsulated ferrocenium could be studied in a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) in addition to the solution electrochemistry with cyclic voltammetry. The stability of the electrochemically active monolayers was tested after a heat treatment (225 °C for 30 min in N2 atmosphere) and multiple cycling (up to 1200 cycles), which could be required for a possible application as molecular based information storage.