Issue 34, 2016

Diamond-coated ‘black silicon’ as a promising material for high-surface-area electrochemical electrodes and antibacterial surfaces

Abstract

This report describes a method to fabricate high-surface-area boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes using so-called ‘black silicon’ (bSi) as a substrate. This is a synthetic nanostructured material that contains high-aspect-ratio nano-protrusions, such as spikes or needles, on the Si surface produced via plasma etching. We now show that coating a bSi surface composed of 15 μm-high needles conformably with BDD produces a robust electrochemical electrode with high sensitivity and high electroactive area. A clinically relevant demonstration of the efficacy of these electrodes is shown by measuring their sensitivity for detection of dopamine (DA) in the presence of an excess of uric acid (UA). Finally, the nanostructured surface of bSi has recently been found to generate a mechanical bactericidal effect, killing both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria at high rates. We will show that BDD-coated bSi also acts as an effective antibacterial surface, with the added advantage that being diamond-coated it is far more robust and less likely to become damaged than Si.

Graphical abstract: Diamond-coated ‘black silicon’ as a promising material for high-surface-area electrochemical electrodes and antibacterial surfaces

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
15 Jul 2016
Accepted
08 Aug 2016
First published
08 Aug 2016
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2016,4, 5737-5746

Diamond-coated ‘black silicon’ as a promising material for high-surface-area electrochemical electrodes and antibacterial surfaces

P. W. May, M. Clegg, T. A. Silva, H. Zanin, O. Fatibello-Filho, V. Celorrio, D. J. Fermin, C. C. Welch, G. Hazell, L. Fisher, A. Nobbs and B. Su, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2016, 4, 5737 DOI: 10.1039/C6TB01774F

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