This research axis has been developed in recent years in collaboration with the University of Lorraine. The functionalization of vertically oriented mesoporous silica films, generated via electrochemical methods, with POM-based wires and/or conjugated organic molecules, including conductive polymers, provides an opportunity to combine the electron transfer capabilities of these molecules with a well-organized nanoporous structure suitable for facilitating the fabrication of an ultra-dense network of well-separated and uniformly distributed nanowires (confined against one another in individual insulating nanochannels with small diameters of 2 to 5 nm). This synergy is expected to lead to new molecular electronic devices, particularly stable and robust molecular junctions based on silica, utilizing parallel molecular wires. The significance of charge (modulated by pH and ionic strength) on the response of such devices is illustrated in the figure below with Keggin family POMs [Vila2019], and a similar study has been conducted with Dawson family POMs [Vila2020].

 Influence of charge (and pH) on the silica pore walls on the electrochemical response of a [SiW12O40]⁴⁻ solution at 0.5 mM. The voltammograms were obtained in a 0.2 M sodium acetate buffer at pH = 4.0, and the diagram on the right illustrates the inability of the POM to reach the surface of the ITO electrode when the silica film is not positively charged to interact favorably with the negatively charged POM.