Non-destructive depth profile reconstruction of bio-engineered surfaces by parallel-angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

In the present, contribution angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AR-XPS) was proposed as a useful tool to address the challenge of probing the near-surface region of bio-active sensor surfaces. A model bio-functionalised surface was characterised by parallel AR-XPS and commercially available Thermo Avantage-ARProcess software was used to generate non-destructive concentration depth profiles of protein-functionalised silicon oxide substrates. At each step of the functionalisation procedure, the surface composition, the overlayer thickness, the in-depth organisation and the in-plane homogeneity were evaluated. The critical discussion of the generated profiles highlighted the relevance of the information provided by PAR-XPS technique.