Nanoscopic Investigation in the Formation of Organosulfur Self-Assembled Monolayers on Au(111)

Abstract

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) derived from organic molecules containing thiol moiety on metal surfaces have attracted much attention because of their fundamental interests in surface science as well as the high possibility of their practical applications. In order to design nano-devices with high-efficiency based on thiol-modified gold surface, it is essential to understand molecular packing structure, self-assembly process, and structural order and disorder of organic SAMs formed on a metal surface. For this purpose, we have examined organic SAMs formed on Au(111) by organosulfur compounds such as aromatic thiols and aliphatic cyclic thiols using various surface analysis techniques, especially, using scanning tunneling microscopy. And we have demonstrated new fundamental aspects of organic SAMs on Au(111), such as, interactions, orientation mechanism, and packing structure.