The adsorption of methyl isobutyl ketone and methyl isobutyl carbinol onto graphite studied as a function of evaporation temperature

Abstract

Atomic force microscopy has been used to study structures found on the surface of graphite following the liquid-phase adsorption of two organic solvents, methyl isobutyl ketone and methyl isobutyl carbinol. The graphite surface was examined following the evaporation of each solvent at temperatures ranging from 25°C to 300°C. The areas of decoration consisted primarily of isolated features whose profile was dependent on the solvent deposited. For the ketone, a linear relationship was found between the height and diameter of the isolated features. In addition to isolated features, low-temperature evaporation of the solvents produced graphite terraces decorated with aggregate morphologies showing spatial organisation. At higher evaporation temperatures, only isolated features were observed at the graphite steps. The differences in the results are attributed to the distinctive chemical functionality of the two solvents.