Composite electrodes for electrochemical sensing: preparation and characterisation of gold nanostructures on a conductive polymeric matrix

E. GUTIÉRREZ PINEDA; M. J. RODRÍGUEZ PRESA; A. E. BOLZÁN; C. A. GERVASI

Buenos Aires

Congreso; 6th International Conference on Science and Technology of Composite Materials; 2015

COMAT

Composite electrodes were prepared by depositing gold nanoparticles on polypyrrole films electroformed on stainless steel substrates. The polymer film was obtained under potentiostatic conditions in perchlorate and salicylate solutions to obtain different morphologies and film thicknesses. The polymeric films were characterised by surface techniques, such as SEM, SERS, XPS and AFM. Once structural and morphological features of the films were resolved, they were electrochemically characterised by means of voltammetry and impedance measurements, and decorated with gold nanoparticles by applying a double potential-step routine. The presence of the gold nanoarray on the polymer film results in enhancement of the corresponding Raman signal, and according to Raman depth measurements, the deposition of gold nanoparticles occurs not only at the surface level, but also well inside the polymeric film. The feasibility of using these composite electrodes in sensing applications was demonstrated related to the electro-oxidation of hydrazine and hydroxilamine.