Self-assembled structures of alkanethiols on gold-coated cantilever tips and substrates for atomic force microscopy : molecular organisation and conditions for reproducible deposition

Lamprou, Dimitrios A. and Smith, James R. and Nevell, Thomas G. and Barbu, Eugen and Willis, Colin R. and Tsibouklis, John (2010) Self-assembled structures of alkanethiols on gold-coated cantilever tips and substrates for atomic force microscopy : molecular organisation and conditions for reproducible deposition. Applied Surface Science, 256 (6). pp. 1961-1968. ISSN 0169-4332 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2009.10.045)

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Abstract

Measurements of surface-liquid interactions (contact-angle goniometry) and tip-surface adhesion forces (atomic force microscopy) combined with infrared spectroscopic studies have been used to investigate surface-preparation and solution-deposition conditions for the reproducible formation of self-assembled molecular structures on gold-coated tips and substrates for atomic force microscopy. Preliminary data show that surface-saturated self-assembled monolayers form reproducibly on prolonged (> 20 h) exposure of gold-coated glass substrates to ethanolic solutions of omega-functionalised alkanethiols in the concentration range 80-160 mmol dm(-3). The data also show that exposure for 16 h to alkanethiol concentrations in the range 160-240 mmol dm(-3) promote bilayer formation whereas concentrations of 240-320 mmol dm(-3) result in the deposition of multilayers, the average orientation of which is parallel to that of the first molecular layer; the use of parent 1-undecanethiol solutions at concentrations of 1-80 mmol dm(-3) results in incomplete monolayer coverage. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.