On the importance of purity for the formation of self-assembled monolayers from thiocyanates

Cai Shen, Manfred Buck, James D.E.T. Wilton-Ely, Tobias Weidner, Michael Zharnikov

Research output: Journal PublicationArticlepeer-review

32 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Assembly of dodecyl thiocyanate (C12SCN) from ethanol solution onto Au(111)/mica substrates was investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS). Contrary to previous reports, thiolate monolayers formed by cleavage of the S-CN bond can be obtained whose quality is at least as good as that of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) formed directly from the thiol analogue of C12SCN, dodecanethiol (C12SH). However, the achievable quality is strikingly dependent on the purity of the thiocyanate with even low levels of contamination impeding the formation of structurally well-defined monolayers.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6609-6615
Number of pages7
JournalLangmuir
Volume24
Issue number13
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2008
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Surfaces and Interfaces
  • Spectroscopy
  • Electrochemistry

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'On the importance of purity for the formation of self-assembled monolayers from thiocyanates'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this