Carrara, SandroCavallini, AndreaMaruyama, YukiCharbon, EdoardoDe Micheli, Giovanni2010-03-302010-03-302010-03-30201010.1016/j.susc.2010.08.025https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/48985WOS:000284793900001Monolayer thin films with ethylene-glycol function onto gold surfaces by using thiols have been extensively investigated. They have been proposed as precursors for applications to bio-detection, where their hydrophilic character improves both specificity and sensitivity. The aim of this letter is to characterize ethylene-glycol monolayer precursors formed onto silicon chips by using silanes. The importance of the ethylene-glycol function is demonstrated by comparing with the well known 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane. The different nano-scale structures of the two precursor monolayers are investigated by using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Longer, wider, and deeper grooves were measured in the images acquired on 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane. Fluorescence investigation demonstrates that the presence of ethylene-glycol function improves target hybridization onto silicon chips, assuring highly-specific detection of DNA.AFMEthylene-glycol materialsSilanesSilicon chipFluorescencetext::journal::journal article::research article