Electrochemical investigation of gold/silica thin film interfaces for electrochemical surface plasmon resonance studies

Sabine Szunerits (1) , Rabah Boukherroub (2, 3)

1 LEPMI - Laboratoire d'Electrochimie et de Physico-chimie des Matériaux et des Interfaces
2 IRI - Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire [Villeneuve d'Ascq]
3 IEMN - Institut d’Électronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie - UMR 8520

The paper reports on the electrochemical behaviour of a thin gold film electrode coated with a 9.7 nm thick silicon dioxide (SiO_x) layer. Chemical and mechanical stable SiO_x layers on gold were synthesised by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD). The electrochemical behaviour of the thin gold film electrodes with or without SiO_x coating were compared using cyclic voltammetry (CV) in potassium chloride solutions and in the presence of an electrochemical redox mediator (Fe(CN)₆^4-) . These studies showed that homogeneous thin SiO_x layers are formed on gold, protecting efficiently the gold electrode from anodic dissolution, while preserving electrochemical mass transfer at the interface. The electrochemical dissolution of the uncoated thin gold film was further evidenced by coupled surface plasmon resonance (SPR) studies.

Mots clés: Gold electrode; Silica thin film; Coating; Cyclic voltammetry; Surface plasmon resonance; Anodic dissolution

Domaines: Matériaux

Sabine Szunerits, Rabah Boukherroub. Electrochemical investigation of gold/silica thin film interfaces for electrochemical surface plasmon resonance studies. Electrochemistry Communications, 2006, 8 (3), pp. 439-444. ⟨10.1016/j.elecom.2006.01.006⟩. ⟨hal-00333307⟩