title: Structural and chemical characterization of monofluoro-substituted oligo(phenylene-ethynylene) thiolate self-assembled monolayers on gold.
abstract: Monolayers of oligo(phenylene-ethynylene) (OPE) molecules have exhibited promise in molecular electronic test structures. This paper discusses films formed from a novel molecule within this class, 2-fluoro-4-phenylethynyl-1-[(4-acetylthio)phenylethynyl]benzene (F-OPE). The conditions of self-assembled monolayer (SAM) formation were systematically altered to fabricate reproducible high-quality molecular monolayers from the acetate-protected F-OPE molecule. Detailed characterization of the F-OPE monolayers was performed by using an array of surface probes, including reflection absorbance infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS), contact angle (CA) measurements, spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). XPS and RAIRS established that the SAM formed without removal of the F substituent and without oxidation of the thiol. The monolayer thickness, determined from SE and AFM based nanolithography, was consistent with the formation of a densely packed monolayer. The valence electronic structure of the SAM was consistent with an aromatic structure shifted by the electron-withdrawing fluorine substituent and intermolecular coupling within an oriented array of molecules.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA. christina.hacker@nist.gov
authors.forename: Christina A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Hacker
authors.forename: James D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Batteas
authors.forename: Jayne C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Garno
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marquez
authors.forename: Curt A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.forename: Lee J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.forename: Roger D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: van Zee
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Zangmeister