3-D architectures for bioelectrochemistry

FERNANDO BATTAGLINI; ANA SOL PEINETTI

Encyclopedia of Interfacial Chemistry. Surface Science and Electrochemistry

Elsevier

Año: 2018;

Surface modification has shown to be a convenient route to promote the orientation of complex structures, like cytochromes, or contain electroactive flexible polymers to produce efficient electron transfer processes, transforming the flat electrode surface in a three-dimensional structure. As some instrumental techniques devoted to the analysis of thin layers come to maturity (i.e., atomic force microscopy, grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering), the concept of 3-D architectures begins to take form. One of its main consequences is a better understanding of the structural mesoorganization originated throughout different synthetic routes. We can broadly classify these structures in two types: soft and hard. In the first type, soft structure, the different components of the system are assembled from a solution and a gel-like structure takes place with a high content of solvent. In the hard structures, a rigid skeleton of a mesoporous material works as scaffold for the further molecular modification to introduce a specific function.In this article, the methods involved in the construction of these different structures, their main components, how they can be characterized, and applications related to bioelectrochemistry will be exemplified.