Chemical Functionalization With Electroactive Species

Abstract

The immobilization of electrochemically reactive molecules on different types of conducting and semi-conducting electrodes is one of the most useful ways of giving a specific functionality to a material. The attachment of these molecules onto electrode surfaces has been motivated to take advantage of their specific properties observed in solution, towards the development of well-defined interfaces for molecular electronics, photovoltaic devices and chemical/biological sensing, among other potential uses. Different synthetic strategies have been followed to prepare such surfaces, with efforts focused on controlling the physicochemical properties of the monolayers or thin layers. In this chapter we will describe some of the most commonly used ways of chemically modify surfaces with electroactive species.