Preparation and properties of partially oxidized N-methylisoquinolinium bis(oxalato)platinate nanowires

Electrochemical oxidation of [C10H10N]2[Pt(ox)2] · H2O (1) (C10H10N = N-methylisoquinolinium, ox = oxalate) leads to the synthesis of new partially oxidized platinum nanowires of formula [C10H10N]1.6[Pt(ox)2] · 3H2O (2). The nanowires were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Wires with diameters of less than 5 nm and lengths of over 1 μm were observed. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and microanalysis confirmed the degree of partial oxidation of the nanowires. The bulk electrical properties including phase angle and real and imaginary impedance values were measured and a model of the electrical conduction circuit was proposed. The significance of this work is that the large N-methylisoquilolinium cation leads to nanostructures, possibly involving individual molecular wires which has not been previously observed in the bis(oxalato)platinate nanowire system.