Fig. 1.

(a) Images of dissolution of Si NMs at various stages in bovine serum (pH ∼7.4, 37 °C) measured by AFM; (b) Dissolution rates of Si NMs at room temperature and 37 °C as a function of pH in buffer solutions, with E as the experimental results (E, symbols) and T as the modeling results (T, lines); (c) Schematic illustration of the dissolution mechanism of mono-Si: nucleophilic ions bonded to Si surface atoms weaken the interior bonds and assist Si dissolution; (d) Dissolution rates of Si NMs as a function of concentrations of phosphates and chlorides (pH ∼7.5, 37 °C); (e) Dissolution rates of SiO₂ as a function of film density in buffer solutions at both room temperature and 37 °C; (f) Dissolution rates of Si₃N₄ as a function of film density in buffer solutions at both room temperature and 37 °C. Reprinted with permissions from Refs. [2, 14, 15, 27].