title: Thiol-Ene Modified Amorphous Carbon Substrates: Surface Patterning and Chemically Modified Electrode Preparation.
abstract: Amorphous carbon (aC) films are chemically stable under ambient conditions or when interfaced with aqueous solutions, making them a promising material for preparing biosensors and chemically modified electrodes. There are a number of wet chemical methods capable of tailoring the reactivity and wettability of aC films, but few of these chemistries are compatible with photopatterning. Here, we introduce a method to install thiol groups directly onto the surface of aC films. These terminal thiols are compatible with thiol-ene click reactions, which allowed us to rapidly functionalize and pattern the surface of the aC films. We thoroughly characterized the aC films and confirmed the installation of surface-bound thiols does not significantly oxidize the surface or change its topography. We also determined the conditions needed to selectively attach alkene-containing molecules to these films and show the reaction is proceeding through a thiol-mediated reaction. Lastly, we demonstrate the utility of our approach by photopatterning the aC films and preparing ferrocene-modified aC electrodes. The chemistry described here provides a rapid means of fabricating sensors and preparing photoaddressable arrays of (bio)molecules on stable carbon interfaces.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Kenan and Caudill Laboratories, 125 South Road, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, United States.
authors.forename: Catherine G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: McKenas
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Kenan and Caudill Laboratories, 125 South Road, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, United States.
authors.forename: Julia M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Fehr
authors.affiliation: Chapel Hill Analytical and Nanofabrication Laboratory, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapman Hall, 205 South Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3216, United States.
authors.forename: Carrie L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Donley
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Kenan and Caudill Laboratories, 125 South Road, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3290, United States.
authors.forename: Matthew R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Lockett