Highly charged fullerene anions electrochemically stabilized by anionic polymers

The dissolution of redox-active molecules on electrodes hinders the durability of the corresponding redox reactions. In this study, we propose the overcoating of anionic polymers as a possible solution to the dissolution problem. Fullerene was chosen as a model redox-active molecule due to its abili...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hiroyuki Ueda, Katsuhiko Nishiyama, Soichiro Yoshimoto
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2020-01-01
Series:Electrochemistry Communications
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1388248119302826
Description
Summary:The dissolution of redox-active molecules on electrodes hinders the durability of the corresponding redox reactions. In this study, we propose the overcoating of anionic polymers as a possible solution to the dissolution problem. Fullerene was chosen as a model redox-active molecule due to its ability to accept multiple electrons. The barrier function of two anionic polymers was evaluated by monitoring the peak currents for the redox reactions of fullerenes using cyclic voltammetry. Nafion exhibited a better barrier effect on the dissolution of fullerene species and stabilized up to four and five redox reactions of C60 and C70, respectively. On the other hand, although sulfonated polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene-ran-butylene)-block-polystyrene showed a more negative cathodic limit in the electrochemical potential window, the dissolution of fullerene species occurred as fast as for uncovered fullerene thin films. Keywords: Fullerene, Anionic polymer, Nafion, Ionic liquid, Au(111), Organic battery
ISSN:1388-2481