title: Determination of molecular ordering at a buried interface and the effect of interfacial ordering on thin film crystallization by second harmonic generation.
abstract: It is demonstrated that by using optical second harmonic generation the orientation and alignment of molecules in the interfacial layer between two solids, a thin solid molecular film and a metal substrate, can be determined. The pyridine molecules in the interfacial layer underneath the film are found to align along the [110] direction of the Ag(110) surface with a small tilt angle (approximately 11 degrees) from the surface normal. This interfacial ordering is found to have a notable effect in inducing crystallization at the heterogeneous boundary of the amorphous molecular film.
authors.forename: Minchul
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Hai-Lung
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Dai
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003460:Crystallization; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D011725:Pyridines / Q000737:chemistry*; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D011725:Pyridines; D012834:Silver