Amino acid conjugated self assembly molecules modified Si wafers

In this study, Si wafer surface was modified with newly synthesized self-assembled monolayers to mimic a biocompatible micro-environment for the cells and to observe their behavior. Begin with; Si wafer is chosen as its availability is easy and well-established structures can be obtained in the surface modification without any interference. In the first step, Si wafers were cleaned and modification of surfaces was carried out with amino acid conjugated self-assembled molecules [Histidine-Self Assembled Molecule (His-SAM), and Leucine-Self Assembled Molecule (Leu-SAM)], (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) and also poly-L-ornithine (PLO). The characterization of these samples were analyzed with contact angle measurements, X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and ellipsometry. After characterization results were acquired, the cell culture studies were performed with L929 cells. In order to obtain information about cell proliferation, MTT assay (a colorimetric assay) was performed. According to these results, enhanced cell proliferation was achieved by the contribution of surface functional groups. Consequently, it has been observed that these controlled molecular structures on the surfaces of materials have a great potential for biomedical applications.