Electrocatalytic activity of nitroxyl mixed self-assembled monolayers: combined effects of the nanoscale organization and the composition

Abstract : The aim of this article is to demonstrate that the composition and distribution of electroactive species immobilized on a gold surface can have a significant influence on the reactivity of modified surfaces. It will be shown that on mixed SAMs, where the electroactive species (TEMPO) are diluted with alkanethiols of different lengths, the contribution of the surface distribution on the electrocatalytic activity is as important as the composition. Without any information on the distribution of species within the monolayer, the interpretation of results cannot be reliable.