Research Overview: Patterning Self-Assembled Monolayers
Recently, there has been considerable interest in generating well-defined structures at the micrometer and nanometer scales.  The ability to pattern structures at the microscopic level finds applications in various fields of science and technology, most notably in microscale electronics, optics, and sensors.   Research I have been conducting in the Weiss lab has focused on using alkanethiolate self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to produce nanoscale patterns in a facile manner.   The principal interactions in self-assembly of alkanethiols on Au(111) are the van der Waals interactions that exist between adjacent alkyl chains in the monolayer.  These interactions stabilize the molecules on the surface and lead to the formation of densely-packed, well-ordered monolayers.   In addition, by exploiting the intrinsic chemical and physical properties of the molecules involved in self-assembly, variation within the structural properties of the monolayer can be achieved. 

Left: Schematic of self-assembled monolayer of decanethiolate on Au(111) showing S-Au bond and van der Waals interactions maximized by alkyl chain tilt.  Right: Top-down view showing Au(111) unit cell (purple) and (root3 x root3)R30º unit cell of SAM (red).

I have been involved in various projects concerning patterning SAMs.  Click on a picture below to learn more about each one.

Last updated: 03/13/02
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