Electrochemical and electrical behavior of (111)-oriented Si surfaces alkoxylated through oxidative activation of Si-H bonds

The reaction chemistry of H-terminated (Ill)-oriented Si surfaces has been explored in the presence of one-electron oxidants in alcohol solvents. Simi lar chemistry was observed for Si surfaces exposed to methanolic solutions of ferrocenium tetrafluoroborate or to methanolic solutions of I-2, as well as for Si electrodes that were subjected to anodic electrochemical oxidati on processes in methanol. Oxidation in alcohols activates the surficial Si- H bond toward nucleophilic attack, producing alkoxylated surfaces. This mec hanism for Si-H activation is supported by infrared spectroscopy, temperatu re-programmed desorption spectroscopy, and by X-ray photoelectron spectrosc opic studies of this system. These data explain a variety of observations r egarding the surface chemistry and electrochemistry of Si electrodes and su rfaces.