Electrooxidation of Ferrocene in Nano-emulsion

Abstract

Nano-emulsion, a kinetically stable system of nanosized oil droplets in water has been numerously used as a medium for biological and medicinal processes. It is also used as a solubilizing medium for compounds or molecules that are insoluble or poorly soluble in aqueous medium in addition to its use as a penetration enhancer in dermatological processes. Ferrocene, a metallocene that is known to be quite insoluble in aqueous medium is liberally soluble in the prepared oil-in-water nano-emulsion. In this medium, ferrocene undergoes a quasi-reversible reaction process and its relevant electrochemical kinetic parameters such as the heterogeneous rate constant, ko, the formal redox potential, E, the half-wave potential, E, the electron transfer coefficient, α, and its diffusion coefficient, D, are determined in this medium. These important electrochemical parameters including the observed current function have been used to formulate a plausible mechanism for the oxidation of ferrocene in the formulated nano-emulsion.