Poly(ethylene glycol) self-assembled monolayer island growth

Jonas Rundqvist, Jan H. Hoh, David B. Haviland

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

38 Scopus citations

Abstract

Here, we report a study of the morphology and growth dynamics of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of the amide containing polyethylene glycol) (PEG) thiol (CH 3O(CH 2CH 2O) 17NHCO(CH 2) 2SH) on atomically flat Au(111) surfaces. SAM growth from a 20 μM ethanolic solution reveals island growth through three distinct steps: island nucleation, island growth, and coalescence. The coalescence-step, filling voids in the SAM, is by far slowest. The fine structure study reveals dendritic island formation, an observation which can be explained by attractive intermolecular interactions and surface diffusion-limited aggregation. We have also observed a change in the island height, which peaks during the island growth phase. This height change can be associated with a molecular conformational transition.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2981-2987
Number of pages7
JournalLangmuir
Volume21
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 29 2005
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Poly(ethylene glycol) self-assembled monolayer island growth'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this