Composite films of poly(allylamine)-capped polydopamine nanoparticles and P8W48 polyoxometalates with electroactive properties.

Polyoxometalates (POMs) are often used to functionalize surfaces with photochromic or electroactive compounds. Among the common deposition methods, besides the Langmuir-Blodgett deposition, the layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition method has become more and more popular due to its facility and versatility combined with the polyanionic character of POMs. The LBL deposition of POMs and oppositely charged nanoparticles is however poorly described in the literature. Using polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA) produced in the presence of poly(allylamine) and displaying a hydrodynamic diameter of 25nm, we show that LBL films containing the large, cyclic P8W48 polyanion and the PDA@PAH nanoparticles display reduction currents which are proportional to the number of deposition steps and hence to the film thickness. In addition the obtained films display not only the electrochemical properties of the POM but also that of PDA nanoparticles. Hence we demonstrate the feasibility to build up films based on particles only with the electrochemical behavior of each kind of particles being conserved.