Modulating the Reactivity of Electrode Surfaces by Electrostatic Assembly of Metal Nanoparticles and Quantum Dots

Charge transport phenomena in opto-electronic devices featuring functional polymers and nanostructured materials critically depend on the electronic communication between the building blocks and the metal contacts. The generation of ordered multilayer structures at electrode surfaces is often a key...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inChimia Vol. 62; no. 10
Main Authors Christopher R. Bradbury, Christa Bünzli, Jianjun Zhao, Michel Carrara, Gabriela P. Kissling, Evren Aslan-Guerel, David J. Fermín
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Swiss Chemical Society 01.01.2008
Subjects
Efm
Electrochemistry
Electrode surfaces
Electrostatic layer-by-layer assembly
Kelvin probe
Metal nanoparticles
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Summary:Charge transport phenomena in opto-electronic devices featuring functional polymers and nanostructured materials critically depend on the electronic communication between the building blocks and the metal contacts. The generation of ordered multilayer structures at electrode surfaces is often a key requirement to avoid electrically isolated (inactive) areas in the devices. This issue is particularly crucial in hybrid photovoltaic, light emitting and electrochromic systems. In the present contribution, the properties of electrode surfaces modified by electrostatic layer-by-layer methods are highlighted as a versatile approach for generating two- and three-dimensional assemblies of nanostructures. The connectivity between the nanoparticles and the electrode surface is probed by a variety of techniques including Kelvin probe, electrostatic force microscopy and electrochemical methods. The main characteristics of electrode surfaces modified by electrostatic self-assembly are illustrated with several examples involving metal nanostructures and CdTe quantum dots.
ISSN:0009-4293
2673-2424
DOI:10.2533/chimia.2008.841