Dansyl-based fluorescent films were prepared by two different methods. In one of them, the surface of an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode was coated with a film of chitosan and the polymer subsequently derivatized with dansyl chloride, whilst in the second method a film of dansylglycine was electrochemically deposited on the ITO surface. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was employed to map the surfaces of the films. Comparison of the morphological, photochemical and electrochemical properties of these films indicated that the dansylglycine film electrodeposited on ITO exhibited electrochemical response, emitted a higher level of fluorescence, presented greater surface roughness and larger relative surface area in comparison with its dansyl chloride-chitosan counterpart. This behavior can be attributed to the higher number of active sites present in the well-organized and rough structure of the electrodeposited film in comparison with the chemically produced films
fluorescent films; chitosan; dansyl derivatives; atomic force microscopy
