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The lead authors failed to name two collaborators as co-authors. The authors listed should include: Miss Claudia L. Compean-Gonzalez (ORCID: 0000-0002-2367-8450) and Dr. Giacomo Ceccone (ORCID: 0000-0003-4637-0771). These co-authors participated in VAMAS project A27, provided data that were analyzed and presented in this publication (and supporting information), and reviewed the manuscript before submission.

The controlled modification of surface properties represents a pervasive requirement to be fulfilled when developing new technologies. In this paper, we propose an easy-to-implement protocol for the functionalization of glass with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). The adaptivity of the synthesis route was demonstrated by the controlled anchoring of thiol, amino, glycidyloxy, and methacrylate groups onto the glass surface. The optimization of the synthetic pathway was mirrored by extremely smooth SAMs (approximately 150 pm roughness), layer thickness comparable to the theoretical molecule length, absence of silane islands along the surface, quasi-unitary degree of packing, and tailored wettability and charge. The functionalization kinetics of two model silanes, 3-mercapto- and 3-amino-propyltrimethoxysilane, was determined by cross-comparing x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry data. Our SAMs with tailored physicochemical attributes will be implemented as supports for the crystallization of pharmaceuticals and biomolecules in upcoming studies. Here, the application to a small molecule drug model, namely aspirin, was discussed as a proof of concept.

Tantalum pentoxide (Ta2 O5) thin films have been deposited by reactive ion beam sputtering at room temperature. The films have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), variable angle ellipsometry, and UV-VIS spectroscopy. The main parameter varied was the oxygen partial pressure. Stoichiometry is reached for pO 3× 10-2 Pa; within the limit of XPS (~1%) the films are free of contaminations. They are extremely smooth with a surface roughness of 0.14 nm only. From FTIR, it can be concluded that they are amorphous. For stoichiometric Ta2 O5 films, the refractive index at 532 nm is in the range from 2.05 to 2.2, while the extinction coefficient is below the detection limit of our ellipsometer. UV-VIS spectra show stoichiometric films to possess a high transmission in a wide wavelength range with an absorption edge below 300 nm., JRC.I.4-Nanotechnology and Molecular Imaging

Tungsten and carbon tungsten films have been deposited by a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technique. The plasma-assisted deposition was performed by inductively coupled plasma source (ICP). A Faraday shield was arranged within the plasma chamber to prevent electrically conductive film deposition on the dielectric chamber wall that would screen the electromagnetic field. External electrical parameters and ion densities of the shielded inductive plasma source are measured and compared to classical ICPs source characteristics. Tungsten deposition has been performed from WF6 diluted in argon and hydrogen. A deposition rate of 5 μm/h was obtained. Hardness measurements show that the tungsten hardness can be increased from 5 to 20 GPA by biasing the substrate. WC films were deposited by adding methane or acetylene to the WF6/H2 mixture. The hardness of the WC films depends strongly on the methane or acetylene flow rate, i.e., on the film carbon content. The WC hardness has been correlated to...

Thin films of zirconia have been deposited by an inductively coupled plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition reactor from a tetra (tert-butoxy)–zircon precursor diluted in Ar and O2 gas mixture. An independent rf generator is used to carefully control the substrate negative bias voltage during the deposition. Zirconia thin films, with thickness up to 10 μm were deposited on Si(100) polished wafers under different plasma conditions. Correlation between deposition parameters and microstructure has been established showing that the ion bombardment has a large influence on the coating characteristics. In particular, the possibility of tailoring mechanical properties of the films by controlling the applied dc bias voltage is discussed.