Synthesis and self-assembly of thiol-modified tellurophenes

Abstract

An asymmetric thiol-modified tellurophene was designed and synthesized, and the ability of the compound to form a monolayer on a gold electrode was confirmed. The surface-active tellurophene was synthesized using Cadiot–Chodkiewicz coupling followed by ring closing and thiol modification. The tellurophene compound forms a monolayer on gold surfaces from a concentrated solution within 24 h. The ability of the compound to conjugate to gold is confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A surface blocking experiment was used to evaluate the extent of formation of a monolayer on a gold electrode.