ELLIPSOMETRIC DETERMINATIONS OF THE THICKNESSES OF DRY AND ELECTROLYTE-IMMERSED POLY(4-VINYLPYRIDINE) FILMS CONTAINING COORDINATED LIGHT-ABSORBING [OS(BPY)2PVPCL]2+/+ REDOX GROUPS

Ellipsometry has been used to measure the dimensions of quaternized poly(4-vinylpyridine) films containing [Os(bpy)2pvpCl]2+/+ redox groups on glassy carbon electrodes. Film thicknesses and complex refractive indices were deduced using molar absorptivities obtained from photometry or a combination of photometry and cyclic voltammetry. The precision in the film thicknesses was estimated using data obtained from thick and thin films with the same polymer + redox group compositions and from data recorded at 60-degrees and 70-degrees angles of incidence of 633 nm laser light. The effects of errors in the experimentally determined molar absorptivity of the redox groups on film thickness were also assessed. The results of this study suggest that reliable thicknesses can be obtained for both dry and electrolyte-swollen films, and that the presence of light-absorbing redox groups within coatings such as these presents no real obstacle for ellipsometric determinations.