DNA-templated assembly and electropolymerization of aniline on gold surface

Biomolecule template gives new opportunities for the fabrication of novel materials with special features. Here we report a route to the formation of DNA-polyaniline (PAn) complex, using immobilized DNA as a template. A gold electrode was first modified with monolayer of 2-aminoethanethiol by self-assembly. Thereafter, by simply immersing the gold electrode into DNA solution, DNA molecules can be attached onto the gold surface, followed by the DNA-templated assembly and electropolymerization of protonated aniline. The electrostatic interactions between DNA and aniline can keep the aniline monomers aligning along the DNA strands. Investigations by surface plasmon resonance (SPR), electrochemistry and reflection absorption UV/Vis-Near IR spectroscopy substantially convince that PAn can be electrochemically grown around DNA template on gold surface. This work may be provides fundamental aspects for building PAn nanowires with DNA as template on solid surface if DNA molecules can be individually separated and stretched.

Preparation and characterization of a novel beta-cyclodextrin modified poly(N-acetylaniline) film

Hydroquinone was chosen as an electroactive probe to study the beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) modified poly(N-acetylaniline) (PNAANI) electrode. The beta-CD modified PNAANI electrode was prepared by electrooxidation of the PNAANI electrode in a beta-CD/DMSO solution. The electrochemical properties of the beta-CD inclusion complex of hydroquinone on the PNAANI electrode and hydroquinone on the beta-CD modified PNAANI electrode were studied. In the cyclic voltammogram of hydroquinone at the beta-CD/PNAANI electrode, DeltaE(p) of the peaks is sharpening and the area of the peaks is increasing, which can be due to the inclusion of hydroquinone into the cavity of beta-CD immobilized at the electrode surface. The beta-CD/PNAANI film was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and H-1 NMR. The mechanism for beta-CD incorporation into the polymer film was also proposed.

Fabrication and characterization of ordered oligoaniline film

highly organized phenyl-capped teraniline (PC-teraniline) film at the molecular level was fabricated on carbon surfaces by electrochemical reduction of diazonium salts. Cyclic voltammetry (CV). scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were employed for the characterization of the film.

Synthesis of phenyl/amino-capped tetraaniline by chemical and electrochemical methods

Phenyl/amino-capped tetraaniline was prepared by chemical oxidation coupling and electrochemical cyclic voltammetry methods. The MacDiarmid's method of oxidation coupling was improved. The aqueous HCl was replaced with a mixture solution of HCl and acetone and (NH4)(2)S(2)O(0)8 was used as oxidant instead of FeCl3. The reaction displays a higher yield and the product tetraaniline has a higher purity owing to the improvement. In the mixture solution system, tetraaniline can be synthesized by electrochemical cyclic voltammetry method. The mechanism by which tetraaniline was prepared from p-amino diphenylamine was proposed. The product was characterized by MALDI-TOF MS and FTIR.

Synthesis of novel nitrogen- and sulfur-containing conjugated polymers used as hole-transporting materials for organic light-emitting diodes

Two series of highly soluble novel nitrogen- and sulfur-containing conjugated polymers were synthesized via an acid-induced self-polycondensation of functional monomers with methyl sulfinyl and aromatic groups. The well-defined structures of synthesized polymers were confirmed by their NMR and IR spectra. The highest occupied molecular orbital energy values for these materials, estimated by cyclic voltammetry, showed a broad range of values from about 5.0 to 5.2 eV used as hole-transport layers (HTL) in two-layer light-emitting diodes ITO/HTL/Alq(3)/Mg:Ag [ITO = indium tin oxide, and Alq(3) = tris(8-quinolinato) aluminum]. The typical turn-on voltage of these diodes was about 4-5 V. The maximum brightness of the device was about 3440 cd/m(2) at 20 V. The maximum efficiency was estimated to be 0.15 1m/W at 10 V.

In situ analysis of electropolymerization of aniline by combined electrochemistry and surface plasmon resonance

The combination of electrochemistry with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) has been used to characterize the growth of polyaniline (PAn) on a gold electrode surface during potential cycling. Potential-modulated SPR characteristics of the PAn film were also revealed. The potential switch between the oxidized and reduced states of PAn can lead to a large change of SPR response due to the variation in the imaginary part of the dielectric constant of PAn film resulting from the transition of the film in conductivity. The redox transition of the PAn film during potential cycling is very profitable to the SPR measurements. Two modes of SPR measurement, SPR angular scan (R-theta) and the time evolution of the reflectivity change at a fixed angle (R-t), were displayed to study the growth process of the PAn film. The angle shift of the resonance minimum recorded at each cathodic limit of cyclic potential scanning allows for the unambiguous measurement of the film growth. During cyclic potential scanning, the R-t curve was repeatedly modulated with the direction of the potential ramp as a result of the redox switch of the PAn film, and the amplitude of potential-modulated reflectivity change was well correlated with the cyclic number. The time differential of the R-t curve permits continuous monitoring of the film growth process. These results illustrate that the combined technique is suitable for studying the electropolymerization process of a conducting polymer.

Characterization and properties of the neutral and doped blends of poly(3-dodecylthiophene) with low-density polyethylene

In this paper, the structures and properties of the neutral and doped blends of poly(3-dodecylthiophene) (P3DDT) with low-density polyethylene (LDPE) were investigated. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the structures and morphologies of the blends, and conductivity was also measured. It was found that separate crystallizations occur between P3DDT and LDPE. When the amount of P3DDT is small in the blend, it has the effect of a nucleation reagent and has some influence on the crystal structure. After doping, the interaction force between the molecular chains increases, and leads to a more compact packing and a more uniform dispersion in morphology. Through blending, the thermal stability of pure component could be greatly improved, especially when the P3DDT content is 5 wt %. The conductivity measurements indicate that the conductivity increases with the increase of the P3DDT composition and doping time.

Design, synthesis and characterization of novel nitrogen-and sulfur-containing polymers with well-defined conjugated length

A series of novel nitrogen- and sulfur-containing conjugated polymers with well-defined conjugation length have been synthesized via an acid-induced self-polycondensation of functional monomers with methylsulfinyl groups. Synthesized polymers exhibit good solubility in common solvents, such as CHCl3, THF, DMF, DMSO, and NMP. With increased numbers of aminophenyl groups, these polymers have shown similar electrical properties to polyaniline (PAn), and these are demonstrated by UV-vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements on the polymers. The conductivity of preliminarily protonic-doped poly[phenylene sulfide-alt-tetrakis(aniline)] (PPSTEA) is up to 10(-1) S cm(-1).

The synthesis of phenyl-capped trianiline and teraaniline by a modified-pseudo-high dilution technique and their UV-Vis spectral studies

Phenyl-capped trianiline and tetraaniline in the leucoemeraldine oxidation state were synthesized through a modified-pseudo-high-dilution technique. The chemical oxidation process of these compounds were studied by UV-Vis spectra. It was found that phenyl-capped trianiline in the leucoemeraldine oxidation state was oxidized to its EB form and then decomposed, Phenyl-capped tetraaniline was oxidized to its EB form and then to the pernigraniline oxidation state.

A novel electrochemical SPR biosensor

In this paper, we demonstrate for the first time that upon electrochemical oxidation/reduction, the transition in the conductivity of polyaniline (PAn) film on gold electrode surface leads to a large change of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) response due to a change in the imaginary part of dielectric constant of PAn film. Based on the amplifying response of SPR to the redox transformation of PAn film as a direct result of the enzymatic reaction between horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and PAn in the presence of H2O2, a novel PAn-mediated HRP sensor has been fabricated. The electrochemical SPR biosensor, unlike a usual binding assay with SPR, can afford a larger SPR response, and can also be reused by reducing the PAn film electrochemically to its reduced state. This method opens up a new route to the fabrication of SPR biosensor. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science BN. All rights reserved.

NMR and UV-Vis study on phenyl-capped oligoaniline salts

Phenyl-capped oligoanilines in the oxidized state and their salts (by camphor sulfonic acid, CSA) were comparatively studied by UV-Vis and NMR spectroscopy. The UV-Vis spectra revealed a similar electron transfer behaviour and similar structure in the tetraaniline to those in polyaniline. Upon formation of the salt, H-1 NMR CH peaks of the oligomers showed large shifts to lower fields. The longer the molecule of a oligomer is, the more the shift, indicating that the charge brought into the N atoms by the proton was redistributed over the whole molecule. The CH and quaternary carbon peak-shifts support the electron cloud motion route H -->C -->C -->N -->H. This is in agreement with the four ring BQ derivatives model.

Synthesis and characterization of phenyl-capped oligoanilines

A series of phenyl-capped oligoanilines were prepared by chemical oxidation coupling. By comparing the FTIR spectra of fully reduced oligoanilines with those of oxidized oligoanilines, the intensity ratio of 1600cm(-1) to 1500cm(-1) was correlated to the content of the quinoid rings in the oligomer. In UV-Vis spectra of the oligoanilines in their oxidized state, the maximum absorption near 600nm redshifted from 540nm to 610nm with increasing polarity of the solvent, indicating the existence of tautomers in oxidized oilgoanilines.

Sol-gel-derived graphite organosilicate composite electrodes bulk-modified with Keggin-type alpha-germanomolybdic acid

A novel inorganic-organic hybrid material incorporating graphite powder and Keggin-type alpha -germanomolybdic acid (GeMo12) in methyltrimethoxysilane-based gels has been produced by the sol-gel technique and used to fabricate a chemically bulk-modified electrode. GeMo12 acts as a catalyst, graphite powder ensures conductivity by percolation, the silicate provides a rigid porous backbone, and the methyl groups endow hydrophobicity and thus limit the wetting section of the modified electrode. The GeMo12-modified graphite organosilicate composite electrode was characterized by cyclic and square-wave voltammetry. The modified electrode shows a high electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction of bromate, nitrite and hydrogen peroxide in acidic aqueous solution. In addition, the chemically-modified electrode has some distinct advantages over the traditional polyoxometalate-modified electrodes, such as long-term stability and especially repeatability of surface-renewal by simple mechanical polishing.

Synthesis of monodisperse pheyl-capped oligoaniline pentamer and hexamer in the leucoemeraldine oxidation state and EB state and its UV studies

Aniline pentamer and hexamer in the leucoemeraldine oxidation state were synthesized through a novel method. The method was accomplished by the reaction of parent aniline tetramer in the pernigraniline oxidation state with diphenylamine and N-phenyl-1,4-phenylenediamine in the leucoemeraldine oxidation state respectively. The oligomers in the leucoemeraldine oxidation state were characterized by IR, NMR, elemental analysis and MALDI-MS. Aniline pentamer and hexamer in the emeraldine oxidation state were synthesized by the oxidation of Ag2O in DMF. It was found that some fragmentation occurred when the pentamer and hexamer were oxidized by (NH4)(2)S2O8 and FeCl3. 6H(2)O. The pentamer and hexamer in the emeraldine oxidation state was studied by UV/Vis spectra. The relative intensity of exciton peak for pentaaniline showed a little increase compared with that of hexaaniline.

Facile synthesis of phenyl-capped oligoanilines using pseudo-high dilution technique

Monodispersed phenyl-capped trianiline and tetraaniline were successfully synthesized by the reactions of diphenylamine with acetaldehyde-based Sckiff's bases of N-phenyl-1,4-phenylenediamine and 1,4-phenylenediamine, respectively, in the presence of ammonium persulfate and hydrochloric acid, subsequent deprotonation and reduction with phenylhydrazine. The reaction mechanism probably involves the slow hydrolysis of the Sckiff's bases and subsequent oxidative coupling reactions of the formed ammonium salts with diphenylamine at pseudo-high dilution condition of the salts.