Preparation of a clay-metal complex hybrid film by the Langmuir-Blodgett method and its application as an electrode modifier

A clay-metal complex hybrid film was prepared by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. According to the method, a monolayer of an amphiphilic osmium(II) complex, [Os(phen)(2)(dC18bpy)](ClO4)(2), (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, dC18bpy = 4,4'-dioctadecyl-2,2'-bipyridyl), was formed on an aqueous suspension of a clay. The monolayer acted as a template for the adsorption of a clay particle from an aqueous phase. A hybrid film of a clay and a metal complex was transferred onto a solid surface by the vertical dipping method. The surface of a film was observed with the atomic force microscope (AFM), confirming the formation of a hybrid film with the thickness of ca. 5 nm. By measuring the cyclic voltammograrn on an ITO electrode modified with the hybrid film, the effect of a clay layer was studied on electron-transport processes inside a film. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.