title: Effect of nanometer surface morphology on surface stress and adsorption kinetics of alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers.
abstract: Microcantilevers undergo quasi-static bending due to adsorption-induced stress when adsorption is confined to a single surface. Understanding the origin of surface stress is crucial for optimizing sensor performance. We have investigated the effect of surface morphology of gold-coated cantilevers on the adsorption characteristics of self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiols. Self-assembly of alkanethiols from liquid phase closely follows Langmuir-type kinetics up to a single monolayer assembly. Our results indicate that alkanethiol adsorption-induced surface stress is largely unaffected by surface roughness of the cantilever. Unlike prior reports that suggest surface roughness enhances adsorption-induced stress, we observe that nanometer-size roughness slightly decreases surface stress and adsorption kinetics.
authors: Physics Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 37996-1200, USA.
authors: Ramya
authors: R
authors: Desikan
authors: Ida
authors: I
authors: Lee
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Thundat