Immobilization of streptavidin on 4H–SiC for biosensor development

A sequential layer formation chemistry is demonstrated for the functionalization of silicon carbide (SiC) appropriate to biosensing applications. (0 0 0 1) 4H–SiC was functionalized with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and subsequently biotinylated for the selective immobilization of streptavidin. Atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ellipsometry, fluorescence microscopy, and contact angle measurements were utilized to determine the structure, thickness, wettability, and reactivity of the resulting surface after each functionalization step. Optimization of the APTES layer was found to be critical to the success of the subsequent steps; multilayer, polymeric films resulted in irreproducible behavior. It was shown that there was significant non-specific (electrostatic) binding of streptavidin to APTES functionalized SiC, thus revealing the importance of a uniform biotinylation step prior to streptavidin attachment. The experimental results demonstrate that the APTES functionalized and biotinylated SiC surface has the potential to be employed as a biosensing platform for the selective detection of streptavidin molecules.