Concentration-dependent diffusion coefficients of tert-butylferrocene within dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride/brine liquid crystals

The title lyotropic liquid crystal is examined as a framework to investigate long-range charge transfer, using tert-butylferrocene ((t)BuFc) as model hydrophobic system. It is found that the apparent one-dimensional diffusion coefficient depends on the (t)BuFc loading. It is suggested that an efficient relay mechanism for electron transfer is through the partitioning of the oxidised form between the two subphases, with inter-pseudophase reaction. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.