Antifouling behaviour of silicon surfaces modified with self-assembled monolayers containing both ethylene glycol and charged moieties

Herein reported is the synthesis of functionalised oligoethylene glycol molecules, with an azido group at one end and an ionisable group at the other end, and their attachment onto alkyne-terminated silicon(100) surfaces using ‘click’ chemistry. The modified surfaces were characterised using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and water contact angle goniometry. The antifouling behaviour of these surfaces was assessed and it was shown that while surfaces presenting both charged and ethylene glycol moieties are antifouling, the antifouling effectiveness is influenced by the surface charge as modulated via the pH of the solution.