REVIEW PAPER Recent Progress in the Synthesis and Applications of Some Ferrocene Derivatives and Ferrocene-Based Polymers Wael A. Amer • Li Wang • Abid M. Amin • Liang Ma • Haojie Yu Received: 8 March 2010 / Accepted: 16 May 2010 / Published online: 2 June 2010 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010 Abstract In the past decades, a lot of ferrocene (Fc) derivatives have been synthesized and used in many dif- ferent applications. In addition, Fc-containing polymers have emerged, as an important class of the metal-contain- ing polymers, with unique electrical, magnetic and optical properties and thus much considerable attention has been paid for the application of these polymer systems. These Fc-containing polymers have many different applications such as amperometric biosensors, immunosensors for pro- teins, DNA and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and carbon monoxide sensors and also they can be used for the fabrication of optical logic gates. This paper reviews the recent progress in the synthetic methodologies, function- alization and the applications of Fc-based polymers as well as some Fc derivatives. Keywords Ferrocene Á Ferrocene-based polymers Á Synthesis Á Application 1 Introduction Since in the early 1990s, many organometallic compounds have been at the front of the chemical research. The unu- sual structure and the aromatic character of ferrocene (Fc) [1] have lead to its old usage in the reduction of carbon deposition and smoke formation upon the addition to fuel oils [2]. Fc and its derivatives have been used in many applications including their usage as radiation absorbers, combustion regulator, highly effective non-toxic medicinal substances, components of various redox systems, etc. [3–5]. In addition, many reviews have been concerned with the biological chemistry of Fc [6], its bioorganometallic chemistry [7], its applications in glucose biosensors [8] and bioelectronics [9], the synthesis and the electrochemical properties of Fc-containing nucleic acids [10]. Furthermore, the introduction of metal atoms into polymers is a good method for the preparation of promising materials to be used in different applications and thus, many literatures to date concern with metal-containing polymers [11]. There are many possible arrangements of the metal atom relative to the polymer backbone [12] as shown in Scheme 1. In type I, the metal atom may be attached to the polymer backbone using a linker like an alkyl group. While in type II, the metal atom is electroni- cally attached to the backbone of the polymer. On the other hand, in type III, the metal atom is in the polymer back- bone itself. Moreover, Fc-containing polymers are con- sidered as an important class of the metal-containing polymers which have different applications because of the combination of the properties of polymers and the prop- erties of the metal [11]. Even though it has been discovered from many decades, the research into Fc-containing compounds and Fc-containing polymers continues apace, due to their incorporation into a wide variety of applications in the modern life. Therefore, an exponential increase in the number of publications related to the synthesis and appli- cations of ferrocenes and Fc-based polymer have been seen in the past 20 years. This review will focus on the recent research progress in the synthetic methodologies and the applications of Fc-based polymers as well as some Fc derivatives. W. A. Amer Á L. Wang (&) Á A. M. Amin Á L. Ma Á H. Yu State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, People’s Republic of China e-mail: opl_wl@dial.zju.edu.cn 123 J Inorg Organomet Polym (2010) 20:605–615 DOI 10.1007/s10904-010-9373-6