Luminescence and fine structure correlation in ZnO permeated porous silicon nanocomposites.

Nanocomposites formed by porous silicon (PS) and zinc oxide (ZnO) have potential for applications in optoelectronic devices. However, understanding the distribution of both materials in the nanocomposite, and especially the fine structure of the synthesized ZnO crystals, is key for future device fabrication. This study focuses on the advanced characterization of a range of PS-ZnO nanocomposites by using photon- and ion-based techniques, such as X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and elastic backscattering spectroscopy (EBS), respectively. PS substrates formed by the electrochemical etching of p(+)-type Si are used as host material for the sol-gel nucleation of ZnO nanoparticles. Different properties are induced by annealing in air at temperatures ranging from 200 °C to 800 °C. Results show that wurtzite ZnO nanoparticles form only at temperatures above 200 °C, coexisting with Si quantum dots (QDs) inside a PS matrix. Increasing the annealing temperature leads to structural and distribution changes that affect the electronic and local structure of the samples changing their luminescence. Temperatures around 800 °C activate the formation of a new zinc silicate phase and transform PS into an amorphous silicon oxide (SiOx, x≈ 2) matrix with a noticeably reduced presence of Si QDs. Thus, these changes affect dramatically the emission from these nanocomposites and their potential applications.

Calcium phosphate/porous silicon biocomposites prepared by cyclic deposition methods: spin coating vs electrochemical activation.

Porous silicon (PSi) provides an excellent platform for bioengineering applications due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and bioresorbability. However, to promote its application as bone engineering scaffold, deposition of calcium phosphate (CaP) ceramics in its hydroxyapatite (HAP) phase is in progress. In that sense, this work focuses on the synthesis of CaP/PSi composites by means of two different techniques for CaP deposition on PSi: Cyclic Spin Coating (CSC) and Cyclic Electrochemical Activation (CEA). Both techniques CSC and CEA consisted on alternate Ca and P deposition steps on PSi. Each technique produced specific morphologies and CaP phases using the same independent Ca and P stem-solutions at neutral pH and at room temperature. The brushite (BRU) phase was favored with the CSC technique and the hydroxyapatite (HAP) phase was better synthesized using the CEA technique. Analyses by elastic backscattering spectroscopy (EBS) on CaP/PSi structures synthesized by CEA supported that, by controlling the CEA parameters, an HAP coating with the required Ca/P atomic ratio of 1.67 can be promoted. Biocompatibility was evaluated by bone-derived progenitor cells, which grew onto CaP/PSi prepared by CSC technique with a long-shaped actin cytoskeleton. The density of adhered cells was higher on CaP/PSi prepared by CEA, where cells presented a normal morphological appearance and active mitosis. These results can be used for the design and optimization of CaP/PSi composites with enhanced biocompatibility for bone-tissue engineering.