| Self-Assembled Monolayers (SAMs) have attracted a great deal of attention due to their potential to be used in molecular assembly. In the literature the most popular choice of substrate for -thiol monolayers is an evaporated gold substrate, generally on a Si wafer with either a Ti or Cr adhesion layer. However, even as smooth as evaporated surfaces are, they still generate fairly rough surfaces in molecular terms and since SAMs are typically monomolecular, this roughness does affect the SAM interface. The effect of this substrate roughness on the monolayer interface is investigated with various techniques: Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Spectroscopic Ellipsometry, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) and low rate dynamic contact angles measured with axisymmetric drop shape analysis - profile (ADSA-P) technique. Finally a model is proposed to explain the experimental data. |
