Carbonized polydopamine layer-protected silicon substrates for light-addressable electrochemical sensing and imaging

The application of silicon (Si) substrate as photoelectrode in light-addressable electrochemistry (LAE) is severely limited due to its ease of surface oxidation. The resulted silicon oxide (SiO_x) layer is electronically insulating and blocks charge transfer between the electrode and electrolyte. Keeping the Si from being oxidized is a key challenge for its practical use as a semiconductor electrode. In this work, we find that by developing a thin layer of polydopamine film on the surface of Si substrate, followed by carbonization at 550 °C, the natural oxidation of Si substrate can be successfully forestalled. When applied as an electrode, it is further found that the carbonized polydopamine (cPDA) layer can also prevent anodic oxidation of Si. The cPDA layer-modified Si substrate exhibits good photoelectrochemical performance and great stability, with no obvious signal decrease under ambient environment over 32 h. Our work here provides a new modification strategy for anti-oxidation of Si substrate and it is promising in the application of light-addressable electrochemical sensing and imaging.