Observation of n-octadecanethiol multilayer formation from solution onto gold

Abstract

Formation of multilayers was observed when gold substrates were immersed in air-saturated, ethanolic solutions of n-octadecanethiol. The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) was used to image the multilayers and to etch the organic layers by using the interaction between the STM tip and the organic layers. In addition, ex situ measurements of the mass change using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) revealed formation of approximately 4 monolayers after 6 days of immersion of the gold substrate in the n-octadecanethiol ethanol solution. © 1993, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.