A polymer interface for varying electron transfer rate with electrochemically formed gold nanoparticles from spontaneously incorporated tetrachloroaurate(III) ions

This paper presents a novel simple method for introducing gold nanoparticles in a poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PVP) polymer layer over a glassy carbon (GC) electrode with the aim of forming a tunable electrochemical interface against a cationic ruthenium complex. Initially, AuCl₄ ^- ions were spontaneously incorporated into a polymer layer containing positively charged pyridine rings in an acidic media by ion exchange. A negative potential was then applied to electrochemically reduce the incorporated AuCl₄^- ions to gold nanoparticles, which was confirmed by the FE-SEM images. The PVP layer with an appropriate thickness over the electrode blocked electron transfer between the electrode and the solution phase for the redox reactions of the cationic Ru(NH₃) ₆²⁺ ions. However, the introduction of gold nanoparticles into the polymer layer recovered the electron transfer. In addition, the electron transfer rate between the two phases could be tuned by controlling the number density of gold nanoparticles.