Photochemical switching of the phase-transition temperatures of p-NIPAM-Pt nanoparticles thermosensitive polymer composites associated with electrodes: Functional electrodes for switchable electrocatalysis

The thermosensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (p-NIPAM) is electropolymerized onto Au surfaces. The incorporation of the photoisomerizable N-carboxyethyl nitrospiropyran compound into p-NIPAM allows the reversible photochemical control of the gel-to-solid phase-transition temperatures of the polymer. Whereas the gel-to-solid phase-transition temperature of the nitrospiropyran-modified p-NIPAM is 33±2 °C, the phase-transition temperature of the nitromerocyanine-functionalized p-NIPAM matrix corresponds to 38±1 °C. Upon the incorporation of Pt nanoparticles (NPs) into the photochemically controlled p-NIPAM, a hybrid photoswitchable electrocatalytic matrix is formed. At a fixed temperature corresponding to 38 °C, the effective electrocatalytic reduction of H₂O₂, or the oxidation of ascorbic acid, proceeded in the presence of the nitromerocyanine-functionalized p-NIPAM, yet these electrocatalytic transformations were inhibited in the presence of the nitrospiropyran-modified p-NIPAM.