Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Our aim in this work is to prepare new covalently modified carbon electrodes and powders as well as metals by electrochemical reduction of substituted aryl diazonium cations.  Such modified electrodes and surfaces are very important because of their usefulness in catalysis, electrocatalysis, environmental remediation, molecular electronics, biosensing, biomaterials and inks. The properties and potential applications of aryl modified electrodes and powders are governed by the functionality (substituents)  of the aryl groups.  For example, ionizable surface groups can be used as binding sites for metallic ions that can be reduced to the metal form.  The immobilization of metal (monometallic and bimetallic assemblies) particles on solid supports is an important step in the fabrication of practical electrocatalysts such as those required in fuel cells.  On the other hand, organic coatings on metals are now widespread and attribute new functionality to the resulting surface. They are used for preventing corrosion, in microelectronic industry, as lubricants and biocompatible coatings for medical devices, implants and biosensors      The research program involves basic research to contribute to the knowledge base needed to develop useful modified carbon and metal electrodes based on the reduction of diazonium salt.  The proposed research program and projects builds upon the work currently carried out in my research group. The long-term objective of the research program is the development of various electrode assemblies and materials made following modification of carbon (glassy carbon, carbon fibers, carbon felts and carbon powders) and metal (gold, copper, titanium and iron) electrodes by electrochemical and chemical reduction of substituted phenyl diazonium salts. The specific objectives are to investigate the: i- grafting of new in-situ generated diazonium salts, of a mixture of two aryl groups and of a patterned binary film; ii- formation of metal particles at binary film electrodes and powders; iii- grafting on metal and iv- further derivatization of substituted phenyl modified electrodes and applications.