Self-assembled monolayers on a ferromagnetic permalloy surface.
Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are nowadays broadly used as surface protectors or modifiers and play a key role in many technological applications. This has motivated the study of their formation in all kind of materials; however, and despite the current interest in molecular spintronics, the study of SAMs on ferromagnetic surfaces remains almost unexplored. In this paper, we report for the first time a methodology for the formation of SAMs of n-alkylphosphonic acids on permalloy in ambient conditions. The formed monolayers have been fully characterized by means of contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy, and X-ray reflectometry. Additionally, the magnetic stability of the modified permalloy after the solution process required for the SAM formation has been confirmed by magneto-optical Kerr effect magnetometry. Moreover, by means of microcontact printing lithography, very accurate SAM patterns have been transferred onto permalloy surfaces and used as resist mask in a chemical etching process giving rise to submicrometric permalloy surface patterns with potential interest in nanomagnetism, spintronics, and storage technologies.
Instituto de Ciencia Molecular (ICMol), Universitat de València, C. Catedrático José Beltrán 2, 46980 Paterna, Spain.
Michele
M
Mattera
Instituto de Ciencia Molecular (ICMol), Universitat de València, C. Catedrático José Beltrán 2, 46980 Paterna, Spain.
Ramón
R
Torres-Cavanillas
Instituto de Ciencia Molecular (ICMol), Universitat de València, C. Catedrático José Beltrán 2, 46980 Paterna, Spain.
Juan P
JP
Prieto-Ruiz
Instituto de Ciencia Molecular (ICMol), Universitat de València, C. Catedrático José Beltrán 2, 46980 Paterna, Spain.
Helena
H
Prima-García
Instituto de Ciencia Molecular (ICMol), Universitat de València, C. Catedrático José Beltrán 2, 46980 Paterna, Spain.
Sergio
S
Tatay
Instituto de Ciencia Molecular (ICMol), Universitat de València, C. Catedrático José Beltrán 2, 46980 Paterna, Spain.
Alicia
A
Forment-Aliaga
Instituto de Ciencia Molecular (ICMol), Universitat de València, C. Catedrático José Beltrán 2, 46980 Paterna, Spain.
Eugenio
E
Coronado