Electrochemical metallization of self-assembled porphyrin monolayers

Multifunctional sensor systems are becoming increasingly important in electroanalytical chemistry. Together with ongoing miniaturization there is a need for micro- and nanopatterning tools for thin electroactive layers (e.g. self-assembling monolayers). This paper documents a method for production of a micro-array of different metal-porphyrin monolayers with different sensor properties. A new method has been developed for the selective and local metallization of bare porphyrin monolayers by cathodic pulsing and sweeping. The metal-porphyrin monolayers obtained were characterized by cyclic voltammetry. It was shown that porphyrin monolayers can be metallized with manganese, iron, cobalt, and nickel by use of the new method. It is expected that all types of metal-porphyrin monolayers can be produced in the same manner.