Carbyne-Enriched Carbon Coatings on Silicon Chips as Biosensing Surfaces with Stable-over-Time Biomolecule Binding Capacity

Dimitra Tsounidi ¹, Panagiota Petrou ¹, Mariya Aleksandrova ²

⁰Immunoassays/Immunosensors Lab, Institute of Nuclear and Radiological Sciences and Technology, Energy and Safety, National Centre For Scientific Research Demokritos, 15341 Aghia Paraskevi, Greece.

Nanomaterials (basel, Switzerland) +

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September 26, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Carbyne-enriched carbon coatings show excellent stability for biosensor applications, retaining biomolecule immobilization capabilities for over 18 months. This robust performance surpasses traditional substrates, paving the way for advanced optical biosensing technologies.

Area Of Science

Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Biotechnology

Background

Carbyne-containing materials possess unique chemical and mechanical properties suitable for biosensor development.
Optical biosensing relies on stable substrates for reliable detection of biomolecular interactions.

Purpose Of The Study

To evaluate carbyne-enriched carbon coatings as novel substrates for optical biosensing.
To assess the long-term stability and biomolecule immobilization capabilities of these coatings.

Main Methods

Ion-assisted pulse-plasma deposition of carbyne-enriched carbon coatings on SiO2/Si chips.
Characterization using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, and sessile drop method.
Real-time monitoring of biomolecular interactions via White Light Reflectance Spectroscopy (WLRS) after physical adsorption or covalent bonding.

Main Results

Carbyne-enriched coatings demonstrated sustained antibody adsorption and covalent bonding capabilities for over 18 months.
Reference SiO2/Si chips modified with aminosilane lost 90% of these capabilities within two months.
The carbyne-enriched coatings exhibited superior long-term stability compared to aminosilane-modified substrates.

Conclusions

Carbyne-enriched carbon-coated chips are highly promising as robust and stable substrates for optical biosensing.
These advanced materials offer significant advantages for long-term biosensor applications, potentially extending beyond WLRS detection methods.

Keywords:

C-reactive protein White Light Reflectance Spectroscopy amine–biotin derivative biosensors carbon coatings carbyne-enriched