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Badiei YM, Traba C, Rosales R, Rojas AL, Amaya C, Shahid M, Vera-Rolong C, Concepcion JJ. Plasma-Initiated Graft Polymerization of Acrylic Acid onto Fluorine-Doped Tin Oxide as a Platform for Immobilization of Water-Oxidation Catalysts. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:14077-14090. [PMID: 33751889 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c19730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The discovery of new and versatile strategies for the immobilization of molecular water-oxidation catalysts (WOCs) is crucial for developing clean energy conversion devices [e.g., (photo)electrocatalytic cells for water splitting]. The traditional approach for surface attachment to transparent conductive oxides [e.g., fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO)] is via synthetic modification of the ligand architecture to incorporate functional groups such as carboxylic acids (-COOH) or phosphonates (-PO3H2) prior to immobilization. However, challenges arising from desorption and the cumbersome derivatizations steps have limited the scope and applications of surface-bound WOCs. Herein, we report the successful immobilization of underivatized Ru(II)-based WOCs (Ru-Cat1 = [Ru(tpy) (bpy) (H2O)]2+ (tpy = 2,2':6'2″-terpyridine and bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) and Ru-Cat2 = [Ru(Mebimpy) (bpy) (H2O)]2+ (Mebimpy = 2,6-bis(1-methylbenzimidazol-2-yl) pyridine)) and the Ru(II) polypyridyl chromophore Ru-C3 = [Ru(bpy)3]2+ onto a FTO plasma-grafted poly(acrylic acid) surface (PAA|FTO). Various characterization techniques such as attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and cyclic voltammetry measurements provide evidence for the plasma-induced grafted PAA|FTO film and immobilization. Surface stability and electrocatalytic properties of these new hybrid composite films upon cycling were investigated at different pH values. Immobilized Ru-Cat1 and Ru-Cat2 onto PAA|FTO displayed pH-dependent (RuIII/RuII) couples and onset potentials indicative of PCET (proton-coupled electron transfer) reactions. Based on cyclic voltammetry results and spectroscopic monitoring, the immobilized WOCs Ru-Cat1 and Ru-Cat2 exhibited a higher surface stability in neutral aqueous solutions relative to Ru-C3 upon electrochemical oxidation. We attribute the surface PCET and stability to the presence of a water ligand in the coordination sphere of immobilized Ru-Cat1 and Ru-Cat2 which can H-bond with negatively charged carboxylate groups of the cross-linked PAA brushes. Our findings demonstrate that the plasma-grafted polymeric network onto FTO offers a versatile platform to directly anchor unmodified homogeneous WOCs or chromophores for potential applications in solar-to-fuel energy conversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yosra M Badiei
- Department of Chemistry, Saint Peter's University, Jersey City, New Jersey 07306, United States
| | - Christian Traba
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Physics, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, New Jersey 07666, United States
| | - Rina Rosales
- Department of Chemistry, Saint Peter's University, Jersey City, New Jersey 07306, United States
| | - Anthony Lopez Rojas
- Department of Chemistry, Saint Peter's University, Jersey City, New Jersey 07306, United States
| | - Claudio Amaya
- Department of Chemistry, Saint Peter's University, Jersey City, New Jersey 07306, United States
| | - Mohammed Shahid
- Department of Chemistry, Saint Peter's University, Jersey City, New Jersey 07306, United States
| | - Carolina Vera-Rolong
- Department of Chemistry, Saint Peter's University, Jersey City, New Jersey 07306, United States
| | - Javier J Concepcion
- Chemistry Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973-5000, United States
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Garand E. Spectroscopy of Reactive Complexes and Solvated Clusters: A Bottom-Up Approach Using Cryogenic Ion Traps. J Phys Chem A 2018; 122:6479-6490. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.8b05712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Etienne Garand
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin—Madison, 1101 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
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Duffy EM, Voss JM, Garand E. Vibrational Characterization of Microsolvated Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation Intermediate: [Ru(tpy)(bpy)(OH)]2+(H2O)0–4. J Phys Chem A 2017; 121:5468-5474. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.7b05255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erin M. Duffy
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Jonathan M. Voss
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
| | - Etienne Garand
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States
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