Immobilization of methylviologen between well-ordered multilayers of manganese oxide during their electrochemical assembly.

Methylviologen dications (MV2+) were immobilized between layers of manganese oxide during their electrochemical assembly by an anodic route in a homogeneous aqueous Mn2+ solution. This approach yielded a well-ordered multilayer film on a platinum substrate as a result of dense packing of planar MV2+ molecules to stabilize the layered framework. A grazing angle in-plane X-ray diffraction study revealed that the manganese oxide sheets and the molecular planes of inserted MV2+ ions are oriented parallel to the electrode surface. Cyclic voltammetry of the product film indicated an electron transfer from the underlying Pt substrate to inserted methylviologen ions through the manganese oxide sheets.