Impact of mesoporous silica-based materials on electrochemistry and feedback from electrochemical science to the characterization of these ordered materials

An overview is presented dealing with the intersection between the chemistry of ordered mesoporous silica (MPS)-based materials and electrochemistry. After a brief discussion on the interest of these materials for the electrochemists community, the various strategies applied to confine such insulating solids at an electrode surface are described. The use of electrochemical techniques to characterize the materials properties is then illustrated in two fields: the redox activity of immobilized electroactive probes and the analysis of mass transfer processes in organically-modified MPS. Afterwards, the exploitation of the attractive properties of the ordered MPS-based materials for electrochemical applications is described via several examples: voltarnmetric analysis after preconcentration, electrocatalysis, bioelectrochemistry, and gas sensors. (c) 2005 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.