Abstract
The self-assembly mechanism of alkanethiol monolayers on the (111) surface of gold was discovered with the use of an ultrahigh-vacuum scanning tunneling microscope. Monolayer formation follows a two-step process that begins with condensation of low-density crystalline islands, characterized by surface-aligned molecular axes, from a lower density lattice-gas phase. At saturation coverage of this phase, the monolayer undergoes a phase transition to a denser phase by realignment of the molecular axes with the surface normal. These studies reveal the important role of molecule-substrate and molecule-molecule interactions in the self-assembly of these technologically important material systems.
Keywords
MonolayerScanning tunneling microscopeSelf-assemblyMoleculeChemical physicsCondensationMaterials scienceCrystallographyNanotechnologyPhase transitionChemistryCondensed matter physicsOrganic chemistryPhysics
Affiliated Institutions
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We have investigated the (3 x 3) to (square root 3 x square root 3) reversible phase transition in Pb/Si(111) by means of variable temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and ...
Publication Info
- Year
- 1996
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 272
- Issue
- 5265
- Pages
- 1145-1148
- Citations
- 816
- Access
- Closed
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Cite This
G. E. Poirier,
E. D. Pylant
(1996).
The Self-Assembly Mechanism of Alkanethiols on Au(111).
Science
, 272
(5265)
, 1145-1148.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.272.5265.1145
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1126/science.272.5265.1145
- PMID
- 8662446