Methodology for Determination of the Key Parameters of Conjugated Polymer Electrodeposition, Based on a Combination of Spectroelectrochemistry and Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance

Methodology based on a combination of experimental data obtained by in situ methods of spectroelectrochemistry and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance has been proposed for determination of the key parameters of the conjugated polymer deposition on the electrode surface via monomer electrooxidation. These parameters are: the current efficiency of the process, the charge spent per an oxidized monomer molecule, the number of monomer units inside the deposited film, and the average number of valence bonds per one monomer unit inside the film. Besides, the electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance method applied to the discharge process of the electropolymerized film allows determining the average charging (oxidation) degree of the monomer unit at the polymerization potential and the degree of the solvent participation in the polymer’s redox transitions. The applicability of the proposed approach has been demonstrated by example of magnesium polyporphine films obtained by oxidation of unsubstituted magnesium porphine on inert electrode in acetonitrile solution at a low potential.