Strategies for Chalcogenide Thin Film Functionalization.

We report the functionalization of chalcogenide thin films with biotinylated 12-mer peptides SVSVGMKPSPRP and LLADTTHHRPWT exhibiting a high binding affinity toward inorganic surfaces, on the one hand, and with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES), on the other hand. The specific biotin moieties were used to bind streptavidin proteins and demonstrate the efficacy of the biofunctionalizated chalcogenide thin films to capture biomolecules. Atomic force microscopy provided high-resolution images of the interfaces, and water contact angle measurements gave insight into the interaction mechanisms.

Coupling Waveguide-Based Micro-Sensors and Spectral Multivariate Analysis to Improve Spray Deposit Characterization in Agriculture.

The leaf coverage surface is a key measurement of the spraying process to maximize spray efficiency. To determine leaf coverage surface, the development of optical micro-sensors that, coupled with a multivariate spectral analysis, will be able to measure the volume of the droplets deposited on their surface is proposed. Rib optical waveguides based on Ge-Se-Te chalcogenide films were manufactured and their light transmission was studied as a response to the deposition of demineralized water droplets on their surface.