Ferrocene embedded in an electrode-supported hybrid lipid bilayer membrane: a model system for electrocatalysis in a biomimetic environment.

An electrode-supported system in which ferrocene molecules are embedded in a hybrid bilayer membrane (HBM) has been prepared and characterized. The redox properties of the ferrocene molecules were studied by varying the lipid and alkanethiol building blocks of the HBM. The midpoint potential and electron transfer rate of the embedded ferrocene were found to be dependent on the hydrophobic nature of the electrolyte and the distance at which the ferrocene was positioned in the HBM relative to the electrode and the solution. Additionally, the ability of the lipid-embedded ferrocenium ions to oxidize solution phase ascorbic acid was evaluated and found to be dependent on the nature of the counterion.