Abstract
This exercise introduces students to nanotechnology through the fabrication and analysis of a unique type of nanostructure called a nanofilm. Students prepare self-assembled monolayers (i.e., SAMs) of a series of alkylsiloxanes of differing chain lengths onto glass slides and compare the overall structural quality of these nanofilms as a function of alkyl chain length using FTIR. By monitoring the peak frequencies of certain vibrational bands and through the calculation of vibrational-band ratios, students determine that the overall structural order of alkylsiloxane SAMs decreases as the alkyl chain length of the adsorbed molecule becomes shorter. The use of FTIR for structural analysis is a new concept for undergraduate students who are used to only the qualitative and quantitative capabilities of this analytical technique. In this experiment, students also monitor the durability and wettability of one of the SAM structures.
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