Pickled luminescent silicon nanostructures

In freshly prepared porous Si, the newly exposed silicon–nanostructure surface is protected with a monolayer of hydrogen, which is very reactive and oxidizes in air leading to a loss of luminescence intensity and a degradation of the electronic properties. We report a surface passivation approach based on organic modification that stabilizes the luminescence. This novel ‘pickling’ process not only augments the desired optoelectronic properties, but also is adaptable to further chemical modification for integration into chemical and biophysical sensors.