Fullerenes Covalently Anchored On Si(100): An Experimental Study

Various [60]fullerene derivatives were covalently anchored via a Si‐C bond to hydrogen‐terminated Si(100) following wet‐chemistry recipes. The applied reactions require a two‐step approach consisting of a pre‐modification of the Si(100) surface with an organic monolayer bearing a terminal functionality that undergoes a bond‐forming reaction with a [60]fullerene synthon. The resulting Si‐C bound hybrids were characterized by a combination of XPS, AFM, contact angle, and electrochemical analysis. The hybrid surfaces containing [60rsqb;fullerene‐ferrocene fragments are exceptionally robust towards repeated reduction‐oxidation cycles. Moreover, several surface‐confined redox couples were observed in $CH3CN$ solution. The surface coverage was measured to be ca. $2.5×10−11 mol cm−2.$