Functionalization of Oxide-Free Silicon Surfaces with Redox-Active Assemblies

This review provides a comprehensive survey of the derivatization of hydrogen-terminated, oxide-free silicon surfaces with electroactive assemblies (from molecules to polymers) attached through strong interactions (covalent, electrostatic, and chimisorption). Provided that surface modification procedures are thoroughly optimized, such an approach has appeared as a promising strategy toward high-quality functional interfaces exhibiting excellent chemical and electrochemical stabilities. The attachment of electroactive molecules exhibiting either two stable redox states (e.g., ferrocene and quinones) or more than two stable redox states (e.g., metalloporphyrins, polyoxometalates, and C60) is more particularly discussed. Attention is also paid to the immobilization of electrochemically polymerizable centers. Globally, these functional interfaces have been demonstrated to show great promise for the molecular charge storage and information processing or the elaboration of the electrochemically switchable devices. Besides, there are also some relevant examples dealing with their activity for other fields of interest, such as sensing and electrochemical catalysis.