V. Korolkov, S. Allen, C. Roberts
Oct 25, 2010
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Influential Citations
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Journal
Journal of Physical Chemistry C
Abstract
We have observed and investigated the ultrafast self-assembly of 1-adamantanethiol (AdSH) molecules on gold at room temperature and at 393K by scanning tunneling microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Rapid high-temperature adsorption was shown to yield a well-ordered defect-free hexagonal packed layer of AdSH molecules. The demonstrated subsecond self-assembly dramatically reduces the time required to form such a layer and provides an impetus to expand the application of self-assembled monolayers in areas, such as surface passivation/functionalization, sensors, catalysis, and electronics. The chemisorbed AdSH molecules have been investigated at a single-molecule level using ambient STM. Near atomic resolution STM images allowed the determination of the preferred molecular conformation on the gold and the molecular tilt (114°) and the twist (0°) angles. On the basis of these findings, a detailed molecular model for assembled AdSH molecules on gold is proposed.