Germanium oxide removal by citric acid and thiol passivation from citric acid terminated Ge(100)

Many applications of germanium (Ge) are underpinned by effective oxide removal and surface passivation. This important surface treatment step often requires H–X (X = Cl, Br, I) or HF etchants. Here, we show that aqueous citric acid solutions are effective in the removal of GeOx. The stability of citric acid-treated Ge(100) is compared to HF and HCl treated surfaces and analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Further Ge surface passivation was investigated by thiolation using alkane monothiols and dithiols. The organic passivation layers show good stability with no oxide regrowth observed after 3 days of ambient exposure

Conformation and self-association of peptide amphiphiles based on the KTTKS collagen sequence

Studying peptide amphiphiles (PAs), we investigate the influence of alkyl chain length on the aggregation behavior of the collagen-derived peptide KTTKS with applications ranging from antiwrinkle cosmetic creams to potential uses in regenerative medicine. We have studied synthetic peptides amphiphiles C14− KTTKS (myristoyl Lys-Thr-Thr-Lys-Ser) and C18−KTTKS(stearoyl-Lys-Thr Thr-Lys-Ser) to investigate in detail their physicochemical properties. It is presumed that the hydrophobic chain in these self-assembling peptide amphiphiles enhances peptide permeation across the skin compared to KTTKS alone. Subsequently Cn−KTTKS should act as a prodrug and release the peptide by enzymatic cleavage. Our results should be useful in the further development of molecules with collagen-stimulating activity

The assets of photoemission to probe the surface physico-chemistry of nanodiamonds

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Contribution of surface characterization tools in understanding the fine surface chemistry of nanodiamonds (NDs)

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Modification of the Electrochemical Behavior of InP Electrodes Induced By Ionic Bombardment: The Case of the Response of the Ce4+/Ce3+ Couple

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Outstanding Contributions of Liquid Ammonia on III-V Semiconductors (Photo)-Electrochemistry

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InP modification under Ar+ beam bombardment : An XPS approach

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InP XPS modifications induced by Ar+ beam etching: a quantitative approach

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