Chimica Analitica ANA-KN-01 Functionalized carbon nanostructures and metal nanoparticles: from effective charge propagation to enhancement of electrocatalytic, photoelectrocatalytic and bioelectrocatalytic properties Pawel J. Kulesza Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, PL-02-093 Warsaw, Poland *
[email protected] Of particular interest to the preparation of advanced materials is synthesis and characterization of carbon nanostructures (e.g. nanotubes) and noble metal nanoparticles, their stabilization (e.g. through self-assembly), as well as organization into two-dimensional arrays and controlled fabrication (e.g. through the sequential attraction) into three-dimensional network films. They can form nanosized materials with well-defined composition, structure and thickness. The interfaces can be also highly functionalized, and they can exhibit specific catalytic or unique electronic, charge storage, optical and sensing properties. We explore here the ability of inorganic structures to stabilize and derivatize metal and carbon nanostructures. Among inorganic systems, polyoxometallates of molybdenum and tungsten are attractive since they can not only adsorb irreversibly on solid surfaces but also exhibit reversible stepwise multielectron transfer reactions. The concept of the layer-by-layer formation of hybrid (organic-inorganic) assemblies composed of anionic polyoxometallate-protected carbon nanotubes (or metal nanoparticles) and ultra-thin films of positively charged conducting polymers (e.g. such as polyaniline or PEDOT) will be described and discussed here. The resulting novel composite materials have been fabricated as thin or moderately thick (µm level) films on electrode surfaces. As evidenced from STM and scanning electron microscopy, their morphology is still granular but the structure is fairly dense. Further, they are characterized by fast dynamics of charge propagation.