Light-triggered antifouling coatings for porous silicon optical transducers

Nanostructured porous silicon (PSi) is an attractive platform for the design of biosensors because of its high sensitivity and selectivity towards various biological targets. Its use for biosensing applications, however, is compromised as a result of interfacial interactions with biological molecules that may accumulate on their surfaces and degrade their performance. We describe a new hybrid system comprising an oxidized PSi (PSiO2) nanostructure and antifouling (anti-adsorption), light-triggered pre-polymers that promote crosslinking and surface anchoring to Si walls. The incorporation of the pre-polymers allowed the production of a thick hydrogel layer on the inorganic nanostructure. Coating completely prevents fouling of proteins on the surface without compromising biosensor performance in terms of sensitivity. The strategy developed here provides a convenient means to combine two distinct features of crosslinking and organic–inorganic hybrid fabrication in a “one-pot” process.