Web Release Date: January 23,
Self-Assembly of an Octanethiol Monolayer on a Gold-Stepped Surface
and
Université Paris Diderot (Paris 7), ITODYS (Interfaces, Traitements, Organisation et Dynamique des Systèmes), CNRS UMR 7086, 1 rue Guy de la Brosse, F-75005 Paris, France, and Université Paris Diderot (Paris 7), MPQ (Matériaux et Phénomènes Quantiques), CNRS UMR 7162, 10 rue Alice Domont et Léonie Duquet, F-75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
Received February 21, 2007
In Final Form: November 22, 2007
Abstract:
We investigate the influence of the native staircase nanostructure of a Au(111) vicinal surface upon the self-assembly of alkylthiols. Through a comparison with standard alkylthiol SAMs deposited on Au(111) flat surfaces, we show that on the vicinal surface the octanethiol monolayer (OT SAM) reproduces the nanopatterned staircase structure, giving rise to a new kind of molecular layer self-ordered on the nanometer scale. The SAM's structure is determined by UHV STM and PM-IRRAS measurements and exhibits a specific behavior relative to the nanostructured substrate. The differences from the film grown on Au(111) are attributed to the influence of step edges on the molecular packing, leading to a specific 2D crystallographic order through the step edges.
Download the full text: PDF | HTML
