The Imprint of Electropolymerized Polyphenol Films on Electrodes by Donor‐Acceptor Interactions: Selective Electrochemical Sensing of N,N′‐dimethyl‐4,4′‐bipyridinium (Methyl Viologen)

Polyphenol is electropolymerized on a Au electrode in the presence of N,N'-dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridinium, methyl viologen, MV 2+ , to yield an imprinted film for MV 2+ . The association and dissociation of MV 2+ to and from the imprinted sites is studied by electrochemical means and compared to the interactions of MV 2+ with the non-imprinted polymer. Donor-acceptor interactions provide the driving force for the formation of the imprinted sites. The imprinted polymer reveals selectivity toward the association of MV 2+ , and the polymer-bound MV 2+ enables vectorial electron transfer between the electrode and redox label dissolved in the bulk electrolyte solution.