title: Thickness-dependent molecular arrangement and topography of ultrathin ionic liquid films on a silica surface.
abstract: The molecular arrangement and topography of ultrathin ionic liquids (ILs) on a silicon wafer have been studied by AFM and ARXPS, respectively. The results indicate a transition from an "anion-cation" layered (smooth) structure to a "drop-on-layer"/"sponge" (rough) structure when the film gets thicker, which can be attributed to the competition between solid/IL attraction and anion-cation cohesion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, 1237 Benedum Hall, 3700 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA.
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frankert
authors.forename: Yongjin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li