Biomolecular gradients via semiconductor gradients: characterization of amino acid adsorption to InxGa1-xN surfaces.

The band gap of indium gallium nitride can be tuned by varying the compositional ratio of indium to gallium, spanning the entire visible region and extending into the near-infrared and near-ultraviolet. This tunability allows for device optimization specific to different applications, including as a biosensor or platform for studying biological interactions. However, these rely on chemically dependent interactions between the device surface and the biostructures of interest.

Wet-chemical passivation of InAs: toward surfaces with high stability and low toxicity.

In a variety of applications where the electronic and optical characteristics of traditional, siliconbased materials are inadequate, recently researchers have employed semiconductors made from combinations of group III and V elements such as InAs. InAs has a narrow band gap and very high electron mobility in the near-surface region, which makes it an attractive material for high performance transistors, optical applications, and chemical sensing. However, silicon-based materials remain the top semiconductors of choice for biological applications, in part because of their relatively low toxicity.

Gallium nitride is biocompatible and non-toxic before and after functionalization with peptides.

The toxicity of semiconductor materials can significantly hinder their use for in vitro and in vivo applications. Gallium nitride (GaN) is a material with remarkable properties, including excellent chemical stability. This work demonstrated that functionalized and etched GaN surfaces were stable in aqueous environments and leached a negligible amount of Ga in solution even in the presence of hydrogen peroxide.