Aryl derivatives of ferrocene are used for the modification of graphitic surfaces. Stronger adsorption is utilized as a route to enable the electrochemically tagging of new carbon materials.
Model experiments are reported on an EPPG electrode where the adsorption of 1-(biphen-4-yl)ferrocene is found to be a factor of ca. 5 times more thermodynamically favorable than the underivatised form. Two further derivatives were also studied and the voltammetric responses of this class of ferrocenes are found to be significantly influenced by ion-pairing.
Finally, the successful use of these new materials for the modification and redox tagging of graphene nanoplatelets is demonstrated.