On the capacitive behavior of silicon electrodes modified with ultrathin hydrophobic polymer brushes

The modification of a silicon surface with ultrathin poly(styrene) brushes, obtained by grafting-from, results in a dramatic increase in capacitance as shown by cyclic voltammetry. This difference in the behavior of silicon and poly(styrene) brush-modified silicon electrodes is amplified when the electrochemical measurements are performed under UV light irradiation. The results obtained show that the modification of silicon electrodes with poly(styrene) brushes can improve their capacitive properties even under UV light irradiation.