Are your silicon nanoparticles hydrophoic or hydrophylic? You could use a silane self-assembled monolayer to functionalise your silicon oxide surface appropriately to attach the particles. Also, are they silicon or silica particles?

Hi Johanna,

i have both oxide-free silicon nanoparticles and silicon particles with 2-3nm oxide.

I am also searching for a silane, what do think about APTES or HDMS as a bonding?

Hi Zeynep

APTES is fairly cheap, but can be difficult to make monolayers with from solution (controlling water is really important for good silane monolayers). If you have a zero humidity nitrogen or argon glove box, it would work OK in there from anhydrous hexane or similar solvents. It might be better to use evaporative deposition, probably in dessicator exchanged with nitrogen or argon. This would give you a good hydrophylic surface. I've not used HDMS, but OTS or PFDS both form good monolayers under evaporative deposition using heating (150 degC or so), so HDMS might be good too. Maybe try and few different silanes and characterise the monolayers on your substrate (ellipsometry, water contact angle, XPS, etc, whatever you have for this) then try each one with your particles. Hope this helps, and good luck.

Thanky ou very much!

I will keep in mind :)