title: Scanning electron microscopy of nanoscale chemical patterns.
abstract: A series of nanoscale chemical patterning methods based on soft and hybrid nanolithographies have been characterized using scanning electron microscopy with corroborating evidence from scanning tunneling microscopy and lateral force microscopy. We demonstrate and discuss the unique advantages of the scanning electron microscope as an analytical tool to image chemical patterns of molecules highly diluted within a host self-assembled monolayer and to distinguish regions of differential mass coverage in patterned self-assembled monolayers. We show that the relative contrast of self-assembled monolayer patterns in scanning electron micrographs depends on the operating primary electron beam voltage, monolayer composition, and monolayer order, suggesting that secondary electron emission and scattering can be used to elucidate chemical patterns.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Chemistry and Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802-6300, USA.
authors.forename: Charan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Srinivasan
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Mullen
authors.forename: J Nathan
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Hohman
authors.forename: Mary E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Arrelaine A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Dameron
authors.forename: Anne M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Andrews
authors.forename: Elizabeth C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Dickey
authors.forename: Mark W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Horn
authors.forename: Paul S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Weiss
mesh_terms: D000218:Adamantane / Q000737:chemistry; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning / Q000379:methods*; D016252:Microscopy, Scanning Tunneling; D036103:Nanotechnology; D010169:Palmitic Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: C505222:11-mercaptoundecanoic acid; C450319:16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid; D005227:Fatty Acids; D010169:Palmitic Acids; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; D000218:Adamantane