Electron transfer in electroactive poly(glutamic acid)

Electroactive biopolymer was synthesized by incorporation of ferrocene moieties onto poly(glutamic acid) polymer chains. In the presence of the electron acceptor methyl viologen dichloride, the ferrocene-containing poly(glutamic acid) exhibits efficient photoinduced electron transfer. This redox-active polymer’s electrocatalytic activity for the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide and ascorbic acid was investigated by using cyclic voltammetry. As for hydrogen peroxide, the reduction peak current shows proportional response to peroxide concentration in the wide range of 10–100 mM; as for ascorbic acid, the oxidation peak current displays linear dependence on the ascorbic acid concentration under 80 mM, which could lead to the electroactive biopolymer’s applications in catalysis, photosensitizer, sensors, etc. The study could offer a strategy for developing environment-friendly electroactive and photoactive biopolymers.