{
  "abstract": "Herein, we introduce a tribochemical approach for activating silicon surfaces through mechanical scratching, triggering remarkably fast spontaneous reactions with organic molecules terminated with thiol (─SH), alcohol (─OH), or alkyne. The reaction proceeds under ambient conditions in dilute solutions (10–50 mM) without the need for light, elevated temperature, or external voltages. The resulting modified surfaces were characterized using electrochemical methods and x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, confirming successful attachment of the molecules. Remarkably, the reaction occurs within only 10 s of exposure to dilute solutions of the molecule, yielding substantial surface coverages of silicon‐bound ferrocenemethanol, 11‐(ferrocenyl)undecanethiol, and ferrocene‐terminated alkyne species of more than 1014 molecules cm− 2. We attribute this reactivity to mechanically induced cleavage of Si─Si bonds, which generates highly reactive Si surface radicals that promote bond formation with the molecules. The ability to drive rapid reactions of Si with ─SH‐ and ─OH‐containing molecules is particularly significant given the prevalence of these functional groups in biomolecules, highlighting the potential of this strategy for sensing at biointerfaces and for molecular electronics.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "School of Molecular and Life Sciences Curtin University Bentley Western Australia Australia",
    "Flinders Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology, Flinders University, Bedford Park Adelaide South Australia Australia"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Abdulrahman O. Abdulrahman"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Kieran Reeve"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zane Datson"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Tiexin Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Melanie MacGregor"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Simone Ciampi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Nadim Darwish"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9a5zkwve2g5gy.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1002/chem.71435",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13716026/",
  "id": "9a5zkwve2g5gy",
  "issns": [
    "0947-6539",
    "1521-3765"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.71435",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Research Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2204|Surface Chemistry and Catalysis"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7170040176",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13716026",
  "pmid": "42485660",
  "published": "2026-07-22",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9a5zkwve2g5gy.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T12:23:11Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13716026",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.71435"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:1605|Supramolecular Chemistry and Complexes",
      "subfield": "organic"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Tribochemical Surface Modification of Silicon",
  "title_text": "Tribochemical Surface Modification of Silicon",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-01T12:23:11Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9a5zkwve2g5gy",
  "venue": "Chemistry (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)",
  "versions": []
}