Co-electrodeposition of bilirubin oxidase with redox polymer through ligand substitution for use as an oxygen reduction cathode

The water soluble redox polymer, poly(N-vinylimidazole) complexed with Os(4,4'-dichloro-2,2'-bipyridine)2Cl]+ (PVI-[Os(dCl-bpy)2Cl]+), was electrodeposited on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode by applying cycles of alternating square wave potentials between 0.2 V (2 s) and 0.7 V (2 s) to the electrode in a solution containing the redox polymer. The coordinating anionic ligand, Cl- of the osmium complex, became labile in the reduced state of the complex and was substituted by the imidazole of the PVI chain. The ligand substitution reactions resulted in crosslinking between the PVI chains, which made the redox polymer water insoluble and caused it to be deposited on the electrode surface. The deposited film was still electrically conducting and the continuous electrodeposition of the redox polymer was possible. When cycles of square wave potentials were applied to the electrode in a solution of bilirubin oxidase and the redox polymer, the enzyme was co-electrodeposited with the redox polymer, because the enzymes could be bound to the metal complexes through the ligand exchange reactions. The electrode with the film of the PVI-[Os(dCl-bpy)2Cl]+ redox polymer and the co-electrodeposited bilirubin oxidase was employed for the reduction of O2 and a large increase of the currents was observed due to the electrocatalytic O2 reduction with a half wave potential at 0.42 V vs. Ag/AgCl.