Galvanic Replacement of Semiconducting CuTCNQF4 with Ag+ Ions to Enhance Electron Transfer Reaction

Inspired by the electroless galvanic replacement (GR) process where a spontaneous redox reaction occurs between two metal species primarily due to the difference in the standard electrode potential of the metal/metal ion couples, a facile strategy is developed to fabricate hybrid materials of metal organic semiconducting materials. The GR of CuTCNQF(4), a metal organic charge transfer complex with Ag+ ion results in the formation of hybrids, wherein at low Ag+ ion concentrations, a hybrid of Ag nanoparticles decorated on the surface of CuTCNQF(4) is obtained. In contrast, high Ag+ ion concentrations show the formation of AgTCNQF(4)/CuTCNQF(4) hybrids with Ag nanoparticle decoration on the surface of the CuTCNQF(4) structures. While the GR reaction results in different hybrids depending on the concentration of Ag+ ions and the availability of underlying Cu foil, we observe that the resulting hybrids have an influence on the catalytic and electrical properties. The outcomes presented in this work present a strong foundation for fabricating hybrid materials encompassing metal organic charge transfer complexes and exploring their properties for new biological, catalytic and electronic applications.