The aim of this project is to develop strategies for fabrication of carbon electrode surfaces with a view to creating stable and versatile monolayer systems for sensing and other applications. Glassy carbon (GC) electrodes have been successfully modified with versatile monolayers via the electrochemical reduction of aryl diazonium salts. The surfaces modified with diazonium salt monolayers were properly characterised by electrochemistry, AFM and XPS. The rates of heterogeneous electron transfer through organic monolayers on GC, Pyrolysed Photoresist Films (PPF) and gold surfaces have been studied using ferrocene as the redox probe. The diazonium salt monolayers created on GC surfaces demonstrated very stable ability and can serve as a good alternative to alkanethiol selfassembled monolayers on gold electrodes for sensing purposes. Tripeptide Gly-Gly-His modified GC electrodes have been successfully used as the electrochemical copper sensors and were found to be extremely stable. PPF has proved to be a good alternative to the GC electrode for the commercialisation of the fabricated electrochemical sensors. The most important and difficult task of this project is to fabricate glucose biosensors and immunosensors on carbon electrodes. The rigid and conjugated molecular wires (MW) as the efficient conduit for electron transfer, and a molecule with poly(ethylene glycol) chains (PEG) as an insulator for reducing the non-specific protein adsorption were successfully synthesised and introduced in the sensing systems. MW modified on GC electrodes can be used to explore the deeply buried active site of glucose oxidase to achieve direct electron transfer of GOx from the active centre FAD through the MW to the underlying GC electrode, and to fabricate third generation biosensors. The interface comprising mixed monolayers of MW and PEG has the ability to facilitate efficient electron transfer. A label-free immunosensor system has been successfully developed for electrochemical detection of biomolecular pairs such as biotin/antibiotin with low detection limitation based on mixed monolayers of MW and PEG modified GC electrode surfaces. In addition, a displacement assay has shown that the free biotin can compete with the attached biotin for binding antibiotin. SWNTs can be used as an alternative to MW to fabricate another label-free immunosensor system due to the high efficiency of electron transfer that SWNTs have demonstrated.

A series of 2,6- and 3,5-ethynylpyridyl compounds and their cobalt clusters have been prepared and analysed in Chapter 2, in order to study through-space and through-bond interactions between the ethynyl arms. Bidentate N- donor ligands, such as bipyridine and o-phenanthroline with alkyne functionality have been used extensively as building blocks for a wide range of molecular materials, but monodentate ethynylpyridyls have received less attention. The results showed that while there is no orbital restriction on a RC[triple bond]C-n-[pi]�cc-C[triple bond]CR through-bond interaction in 2,6-ethynylpyridyls, no significant interaction exists. Nevertheless, there are intramolecular interactions as manifested in the distortions which occur in the solid state structure of the compounds and the lability of the diphenylphosphine methane (dppm) moieties in the oxidised Co₂(CO)₄dppm species. Polymerisation by Sonogashira coupling between dibromo pyridines or diiodo ferrocene and ethynyl pyridines resulted in only oligomeric fractions that could be separated. The thesis also reports the synthesis and characterization of some novel naphthalimide monomers with acrylic and allyl headgroups. The naphthalimide moiety is substituted in the 4-position with various functionalities. This is presented in detail in Chapter 3 of the thesis. The monomers� structure is the following: [illustration omitted] wherein: A may be a polymerizable group (methacrylate or allyl), which includes a spacer entity (aliphatic or aromatic); B is selected from an ethenyl or ethynyl linked organometallic group, a halogen and/or an amine (i.e. bromo, ethynylferrocene, ethenylferrocene, trimethylsilylethynyl, nitro, piperidine and ethenylpiperidine). The acrylic monomers were synthesized by coupling 4-bromo-1,8-naphthalic anhydride with an amino alcohol to give an imide, which then was coupled with methacryloyl chloride to provide the methacrylate. Functionalization in the 4-position of the naphthalimide moieties was achieved by Sonogashira and Heck coupling reactions with for example ethynylferrocene, trimethylsilyl acetylene, vinylferrocene. For the allyl monomers synthesis, a reaction between allyl amine and 4-Bromo-naphthalic anhydride provided 4-bromo-naphthalimido allyl, which was then functionalized by further Sonogashira and Heck coupling reactions. The monomers were polymerised and copolymerised with other widely used comonomers, such as methyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, styrene, vinyl carbazole and acrylonitrile. The polymerisation processes and the full analyses of the (co)polymers are described in Chapter 4. Free radical polymerisation, FRP, initiated by azo bisisobutyronitrile, AIBN at elevated temperature was the main technique employed for making the (co)polymers. Atom Transfer Radical Polymerisation, ATRP was conducted for some monomers although the results were inconclusive (the yields were low, under 50%, but the molecular weight distributions were quite narrow, PDI�s <1.7). Heck coupling polymerisation was performed for the bromo- substituted methacrylic and allyl monomers and supplied colorful, well-defined polymeric materials, with low polymerisation degrees. All polymers were analyzed by HPLC, NMR, UV-VIS, IR, electrochemistry and fluorescence. The (co)polymers made by FRP had various molecular masses (Mn = 3000- 90.000), whereas the polydispersities were PDI = 1.4- 4.6. Most of the (co)polymers were fluorescent and had good thermal and electrochemical properties. Potential applications of the polymers have been suggested and relevant literature background in the field is provided in both Chapters 1 and 4. The monomers/ polymers are stable compounds (no special storage conditions required) and can act as good candidates for potential applications in light emitting devices, as resins/ binders for coating materials, in the dyes and pigment industry and also for manufacturing of conducting polymers and/or composite materials.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI/Dissertation Abstracts International.

Thesis (Ph. D.) in Chemistry--University of Maine, 2003. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 181-196).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Michigan. 1931. / "By Alfred L. Ferguson. Richard Hitchens and Kenneth Van Lentes." From Transactions of the Electrochemical society, v. 71, 1937.

Not available / text

published_or_final_version / Chemistry / Master / Master of Philosophy

No description available.

A series of 2,6- and 3,5-ethynylpyridyl compounds and their cobalt clusters have been prepared and analysed in Chapter 2, in order to study through-space and through-bond interactions between the ethynyl arms. Bidentate N- donor ligands, such as bipyridine and o-phenanthroline with alkyne functionality have been used extensively as building blocks for a wide range of molecular materials, but monodentate ethynylpyridyls have received less attention. The results showed that while there is no orbital restriction on a RC[triple bond]C-n-[pi]�cc-C[triple bond]CR through-bond interaction in 2,6-ethynylpyridyls, no significant interaction exists. Nevertheless, there are intramolecular interactions as manifested in the distortions which occur in the solid state structure of the compounds and the lability of the diphenylphosphine methane (dppm) moieties in the oxidised Co₂(CO)₄dppm species. Polymerisation by Sonogashira coupling between dibromo pyridines or diiodo ferrocene and ethynyl pyridines resulted in only oligomeric fractions that could be separated. The thesis also reports the synthesis and characterization of some novel naphthalimide monomers with acrylic and allyl headgroups. The naphthalimide moiety is substituted in the 4-position with various functionalities. This is presented in detail in Chapter 3 of the thesis. The monomers� structure is the following: [illustration omitted] wherein: A may be a polymerizable group (methacrylate or allyl), which includes a spacer entity (aliphatic or aromatic); B is selected from an ethenyl or ethynyl linked organometallic group, a halogen and/or an amine (i.e. bromo, ethynylferrocene, ethenylferrocene, trimethylsilylethynyl, nitro, piperidine and ethenylpiperidine). The acrylic monomers were synthesized by coupling 4-bromo-1,8-naphthalic anhydride with an amino alcohol to give an imide, which then was coupled with methacryloyl chloride to provide the methacrylate. Functionalization in the 4-position of the naphthalimide moieties was achieved by Sonogashira and Heck coupling reactions with for example ethynylferrocene, trimethylsilyl acetylene, vinylferrocene. For the allyl monomers synthesis, a reaction between allyl amine and 4-Bromo-naphthalic anhydride provided 4-bromo-naphthalimido allyl, which was then functionalized by further Sonogashira and Heck coupling reactions. The monomers were polymerised and copolymerised with other widely used comonomers, such as methyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, styrene, vinyl carbazole and acrylonitrile. The polymerisation processes and the full analyses of the (co)polymers are described in Chapter 4. Free radical polymerisation, FRP, initiated by azo bisisobutyronitrile, AIBN at elevated temperature was the main technique employed for making the (co)polymers. Atom Transfer Radical Polymerisation, ATRP was conducted for some monomers although the results were inconclusive (the yields were low, under 50%, but the molecular weight distributions were quite narrow, PDI�s <1.7). Heck coupling polymerisation was performed for the bromo- substituted methacrylic and allyl monomers and supplied colorful, well-defined polymeric materials, with low polymerisation degrees. All polymers were analyzed by HPLC, NMR, UV-VIS, IR, electrochemistry and fluorescence. The (co)polymers made by FRP had various molecular masses (Mn = 3000- 90.000), whereas the polydispersities were PDI = 1.4- 4.6. Most of the (co)polymers were fluorescent and had good thermal and electrochemical properties. Potential applications of the polymers have been suggested and relevant literature background in the field is provided in both Chapters 1 and 4. The monomers/ polymers are stable compounds (no special storage conditions required) and can act as good candidates for potential applications in light emitting devices, as resins/ binders for coating materials, in the dyes and pigment industry and also for manufacturing of conducting polymers and/or composite materials.

The work described i n this thesis deals mainly with a fundamental study of two cementation reactions, i.e., Cu(II)/Zn and Co(II)/Zn, using the electrochemical techniques of linear potential sweep voltammetry, cyclic vol tammetry, chronopotentiometry (stripping), capacitance measurements,ring current measurements and impedance spectroscopy. In addition, solution analysis, x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were employed to achieve a better understanding of the kinetics and mechanisms of the two cementations. The half reactions of the two systems were also investigated as an essential part of the whole study. Of the two systems investigated, the Cu(II)/Zn system, was mainly used as a reference system on which some of the new techniques could be proved. The Cu(II)/Zn reaction has been shown to be diffusion controlled. Five methods, including solution analysis, have been used to determine the rate of reaction. The values of the rate constants thus determined were in good agreement provided allowance was made for the nonstoichiometry of this reaction due to proton displacement by zinc. The Co(II)/Zn cementation reaction, though thermodynamically highly favourable, is kinetically very sluggish. Of the factors affecting this reaction, the solution pH was found to play a substantial role. For example, while the reaction is largely under chemical control, at pH 5 the reaction rate becomes limited by the speed at which cobalt(I1) ions diffuse to the reacting metal surface. The favourable influence of a higher pH on the reduction of cobalt(II) carried out either electrochemically or chemically using zinc powder was ascribed to the increasing formation of the electrochemically active species, CoOH+ . Increasing the temperature also favours the shift from chemical control to diffusion control. Values for the rate constants of the Co(II)/Zn reaction in the absence of added zn2+ ions were determined from Evans' diagram, chronopotentiometry and impedance spectroscopy, The reasons for the differences in the values of rate thus obtained were discussed. The presence of zinc ions in the reaction solution greatly suppressed the rate of Co(II)/Zn cementation reaction. Several factors have been identified as contributing to the reduced reaction rate. These are the double layer effect, zinc ion and hydrogen atom adsorption, and precipitation of basic zinc salts which blanket the reacting metal surface. The action of compounds such as Sb(III) and As(III), which are commonly used to activate the Co(II)/Zn reaction in the presence of large amounts of zn2+, was investigated mainly by impedance spectroscopy. From the similarity of the impedance spectra for the reaction i n the presence of benzoqui none, it was inferred that one role of the activators was to suppress the formation of adsorbed hydrogen on the reacting surface and to allow a higher concentration of the active species, COOH'.