Covalently bound organic monolayers on silicon surfaces : visible light attachment, charaterization, and electrical properties

The full control over surface properties is a 'Holy Grail' in material science. A significant step forward in this area includes the modification of silicon surfaces, by the covalent attachment of organic monolayers. In this way receptors than can specifically bind with ions or molecules be attached to flat silicon surfaces.</span><p class=MsoBodyText3 style='line-height:normal;layout-grid-mode:char'><span lang=EN-US>In this research, several facets have been studied that play a role in combining the world of organic chemistry (the monolayers) and the one of inorganic semiconductors (silicon). The development of a very mild method using visible light has been described. Via this method fragile sugar derivatives - which play an important role in cell recognition processes - have successfully been attached to silicon surfaces. Further the prevention of protein adsorption on modified silicon surfaces has been studied. In general, the adsorption of biomaterials adversely affects a diverse range of areas, e.g., the colonization of marine organisms on ship hulls or the fouling of filtration membranes. In addition, the electrical properties of organic monolayers have been described and finally the reaction mechanism of monolayer formation on porous silicon has been studied and discussed.</span><p class=MsoBodyText3 style='line-height:normal;layout-grid-mode:char'><span lang=EN-US>With the combination of these studies a significant step forward has been made in the research on modified surfaces. We believe the work will stimulate the development of a variety of applications in the field of electrical devices and (medical) diagnostics