Octanethiol Monolayers Research Articles

Structure and self-assembly of sequentially adsorbed coronene/octanethiol monolayers

Scanning tunneling microscopy is used to investigate the structure of sequentially adsorbed coronene/octanethiol monolayers on Au(111). In these experiments, coronene-covered gold surfaces are exposed to octanethiol vapor. The resulting mixed monolayers are covered by close-packed octanethiol domains with clusters of coronene located within octanethiol domain boundaries. For these systems, the positions of coronene on the surface are determined by the kinetics of octanethiol monolayer formation and the local structure of the gold. The initial coverage and order of the coronene-covered surface influence the final structure of the mixed coronene/alkanethiol monolayer: deposition of coronene from the vapor phase, which creates a relatively lower coverage and higher degree of order than solution-based deposition, results in smaller coronene clusters. Statistical analysis of the locations of clusters of coronene shows that depending on the deposition parameters, coronene clusters are repelled in varying degree by upward-going and downward-going steps or are attracted to the top edges of surface step defects. In contrast to clusters, isolated coronene molecules are observed in the middle of close-packed octanethiol domains, but also appear to have an affinity for the edge of downward-going steps. We compare these results to mixed monolayers composed of C 70 and octanethiol.

A scanning tunnelling microscopy investigation of gold island formation from an octanethiol self-assembled monolayer on Au(1 1 1)

The release of gold atoms from an octanethiol monolayer on Au(1 1 1) and the subsequent formation of single-layer-high gold islands have been investigated using a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) in air. When the bias voltage between the STM tip and the sample is above the threshold for water electrolysis, reactive desorption of the thiol molecules takes place leading to the release of gold adatoms. The number of released atoms has been evaluated as a function of exposure to the tip current under both positive and negative bias voltages. Tip-induced ripening of the gold islands, and more interestingly, tip-induced disintegration of small islands are observed.

STUDY OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY FOR COPPER NANOPARTICLES WITH VAPOR-DEPOSITED SAMs

A self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of octanethiol was vapor-deposited onto the surface of copper ( Cu ) nanoparticles as a means of preventing oxidation. The presence of octanethiol on the surface of Cu nanoparticles was verified using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The electrical resistance of copper nanoparticles with deposition of a 12-nm thickness of octanethiol on the surface was found to be 100 times greater than that of uncoated powders, indicating uniform SAM coating of the particles.

Translational transitions at domain boundaries in octanethiol monolayers on Au(1 1 1)

Systematic studies of domain boundaries of self-assembled monolayers of octanethiols on (1 1 1) oriented gold surfaces have been performed by ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). The monolayers consist of domains that exhibit the c ( 4 × 2 ) superstructure of the hexagonal ( 3 × 3 ) R 30 ∘ structure of alkanethiols on gold. By high-resolution images domain boundaries are displayed with molecular resolution. These are used to deduce the exact relation between the adsorption sites of the molecules belonging to different domains on the gold substrate. A translational transition is shown here in detail and it is demonstrated that hexagonal close-packed (hcp), and face-centred cubic (fcc) triple hollow sites are occupied similarly by octanethiols.

Structure and Conductance of Aromatic and Aliphatic Dithioacetamide Monolayers on Au(111)

The structure and electrical properties of self-assembled monolayers of cyclic aromatic and aliphatic dithioacetamides (1,4-bis(mercaptoacetamido)benzene and 1,4-bis(mercaptoacetamido)cyclohexane) and of mixed dithioacetamide/alkanethiol monolayers are characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and contact angle goniometry. Both dithioacetamides are found to pack densely on Au(111), however the monolayers are poorly ordered as a result of hydrogen bond formation between the amide groups. The coassembly and the insertion method are compared for the formation of mixed dithioacetamide/alkanethiol monolayers. By coassembly, islands of dithioacetamides in a dodecanethiol matrix can only be obtained at a low dithioacetamide/dodecanethiol concentration ratio in solution (1/10) and by thermal annealing of the resulting monolayers. Small and well defined dithioacetamide domains are realized by insertion of dithioacetamides into defect sites of closely packed octanethiol monolayers. These domains are used to determine the molecular conductance by means of STM height profiles and molecular lengths resulting from density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The difference in the tunneling decay constant beta measured for aromatic dithioacetamides (beta = 0.74-0.76/A) and for aliphatic dithioacetamides (beta = 0.84-0.91/A) highlights the influence of the conjugation within the cyclic core on molecular conductance.

Self-Assembly of an Octanethiol Monolayer on a Gold-Stepped Surface

We investigate the influence of the native staircase nanostructure of a Au(111) vicinal surface upon the self-assembly of alkylthiols. Through a comparison with standard alkylthiol SAMs deposited on Au(111) flat surfaces, we show that on the vicinal surface the octanethiol monolayer (OT SAM) reproduces the nanopatterned staircase structure, giving rise to a new kind of molecular layer self-ordered on the nanometer scale. The SAM's structure is determined by UHV STM and PM-IRRAS measurements and exhibits a specific behavior relative to the nanostructured substrate. The differences from the film grown on Au(111) are attributed to the influence of step edges on the molecular packing, leading to a specific 2D crystallographic order through the step edges.

Au/<EM>γ</EM>-Al<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>3</SUB> Catalyst Prepared from Octanethiolate Monolayer Protected Au Nanoparticles for CO Oxidation

Au/<EM>γ</EM>-Al<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>3</SUB> Catalyst Prepared from Octanethiolate Monolayer Protected Au Nanoparticles for CO Oxidation

Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance Study of Azurin Adsorption onto an Alkanethiol Self-Assembled Monolayer on Gold

A quartz crystal microbalance coupled with electrochemistry was used to examine the adsorption of azurin on a gold electrode modified with a self-assembled monolayer of octanethiol. Azurin adsorbed irreversibly to form a densely packed monolayer. The rate of azurin adsorption was related to the bulk concentration of azurin in solution within the concentration range studied. At a high azurin concentration (2.75 muM), adsorption was rapid with a stable adsorption maximum attained in 2-3 min. At a lower azurin solution concentration (0.35 muM), the time to reach a stable adsorption maximum was approximately 30 min. Interestingly, the maximum surface concentration attained for all solution concentrations studied by the QCM method was 25 +/- 1 pmol cm-2, close to that predicted for monolayer coverage. The dissipation was monitored during adsorption, and only small changes were detected, implying a rigid adsorption model, as needed when using the Sauerbrey equation. Cyclic voltammetric data were consistent with a one-electron, surface-confined CuII/CuI azurin process with fast electron-transfer kinetics. The electroactive surface concentration calculated using voltammetry was 7 +/- 1 pmol cm-2. The differences between the QCM and voltammetrically determined surface coverage values reflect, predominantly, the different measurement methods but imply that all surface-confined azurin is not electrochemically active on the time scale of cyclic voltammetry.

Collision-induced annealing of octanethiol self-assembled monolayers by high-kinetic-energy xenon atoms

Collisions with high-energy xenon atoms (1.3 eV) induce structural changes in octanethiol self-assembled monolayers on Au(111). These changes are characterized at the molecular scale using an in situ scanning tunneling microscope. Gas-surface collisions induce three types of structural transformations: domain boundary annealing, vacancy island diffusion, and phase changes. Collision-induced changes that occur tend to increase order and create more stable structures on the surface. We propose a mechanism where monolayer transformations are driven by large amounts of vibrational energy localized in the alkanethiol molecules. Because we monitor incremental changes over small regions of the surface, we can obtain structural information about octanethiol monolayers that cannot be observed directly in scanning tunneling microscopy images.

Scrutiny of annexin A1 mediated membrane-membrane interaction by means of a thickness shear mode resonator and computer simulations.

The dissipational quartz crystal microbalance (D-QCM) technology was applied to monitor the adsorption of vesicles to membrane-bound annexin A1 by simultaneously reading out the shifts in resonance frequency and dissipation. Solid-supported membranes (SSMs) composed of a chemisorbed octanethiol monolayer and a physisorbed 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine/1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoserine monolayer were immobilized on the gold electrode of a 5 MHz quartz plate. Adsorption and desorption of annexin A1 to the SSM was followed by means of the QCM technique. After nonbound annexin A1 was removed from solution, the second membrane binding was monitored by the D-QCM technique, which allowed distinguishing between adsorbed and ruptured vesicles. The results show that vesicles stay always intact independent of the amount of bound annexin and the vesicle and buffer composition. It was shown that the vesicle adsorption process to membrane-bound annexin A1 is fully irreversible and is mediated by two-dimensional annexin clusters. For N-terminally truncated annexin A1, a decrease in the amount of bound vesicles was observed, which might be the result of fewer binding sites presented by the annexin A1 core. Supported by computer simulations, the results demonstrate that the vesicle adsorption process is electrostatically driven, but compared to those of sole electrostatic binding, the rate constants of adsorption are 1-2 orders of magnitude smaller, indicating the presence of a potential barrier.

Heat-stabilized glycosphingolipid films for biosensing applications.

We have investigated a means of producing thin, oriented lipid monolayers which are stable under repeated washing and which may be useful in biosensing or surface-coating applications. Phosphatidylcholine and the glycosphingolipid GM1 were used as representative lipids for this work. Initially, a mixed self-assembled monolayer of octanethiol and hexadecanethiol was produced on a gold surface. This hydrophobic monolayer was then brought into contact with a thin lipid film that had been assembled at the liquid/air interface of a solution, allowing the lipid to deposit on the gold surface through hydrophobic interactions. The lipid layer was then heated to cause intermingling of the fatty acid and alkanethiol chains and cooled to form a highly stable film which withstood repeated rinsing and solution exposure. Presence and stability of the film were confirmed via ellipsometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), with an average overall film thickness of approximately 3.5 nm. This method was then utilized to produce GM1 layers on gold-coated QCM crystals for affinity sensing trials with cholera toxin. For these sensing elements, the lower detection limit of cholera toxin was found to be approximately 0.5 microg/mL, with a logarithmic relationship between toxin concentration and frequency response spanning over several orders of magnitude. Potential sites for nonspecific adsorption were blocked using serum albumin without sacrificing toxin specificity.

Inter- and Intramolecular Temperature-Dependent Vibrational Perturbations of Alkanethiol Self-Assembled Monolayers

The infrared spectra of octanethiol, dodecanethiol, and hexadecanethiol (C8, C12, and C16, respectively) monolayers adsorbed on Au(111) textured surfaces have been explored in the 25−300 K regime. The C−H stretching modes typically shift by several wavenumbers to lower frequencies and the intensities increase by as much as 75% as the temperature is decreased, providing evidence of, among other effects, the coupling of these stretching modes with lower energy vibrational modes. In contrast, for all temperatures below 300 K, the positions of the C−H bands of fully hydrogenated C16 shift by several wavenumbers to higher frequencies as the hydrogenated adsorbates are increasingly diluted in a matrix of fully deuterated C16, showing that all bands are subject to intermolecular couplings. The analysis of the behavior of the C−H stretching bands suggests that the temperature dependence of the vibrational frequencies associated with the methylene stretching modes is principally due to intermolecular couplings, whereas the temperature dependence of the vibrations associated with the methyl terminations is largely due to intramolecular couplings. It is suggested that the highly constrained geometry of the isotopically diluted monolayer may provide an environment that is less sensitive to intramolecular couplings with low-frequency modes than that of urea−clathrate-isolated species.

Synthesis and redox behavior of biferrocenyl terpyridine-functionalized gold clusters

Spectroscopic and electrochemical characterizations of ferrocene- and biferrocene-functionalized terpyridine octanethiolate monolayer protected clusters were reported. The electrochemical data reveals that there is an interaction between redox centers.

Stable, Nanoscale Glycosphingolipid Films for Use in Sensing Applications

AbstractWe have developed a means of producing thin, oriented lipid monolayers which are stable under repeated washing and which may be useful in biosensing or surface- coating applications. Phosphotidylcholine (PC) and the glycosphingolipid (GSL) GM1 were used as representative lipids for this process. Initially, a mixed self-assembled monolayer of octanethiol and hexadecanethiol was constructed on a clean gold surface. This hydrophobic surface was then brought into contact with a thin lipid layer that had been deposited at the air/liquid interface of a solution by evaporating a mixture of lipid in hexane on top of a layer of water. The lipid layer, now deposited on the gold surface, was then heated to cause intercalation of the fatty acid and alkanethiol chains, and cooled to form a highly stable film which withstood repeated rinsing and solution exposure. Presence and stability of the film was confirmed via ellipsometry, FTIR, and QCM, with an average overall thickness of ∼3.5 nm. These films may be potentially useful in biotoxin detection or as a protein resistant layer for the prevention of biofouling.

Kinetics and thermodynamics of annexin A1 binding to solid-supported membranes: a QCM study.

By means of the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique, the interaction of annexin A1 with lipid membranes was quantified using solid-supported bilayers immobilized on gold electrodes deposited on 5 MHz quartz plates. Solid-supported lipid bilayers were composed of a first octanethiol monolayer chemisorbed on gold and a physisorbed phospholipid monolayer obtained from vesicle fusion. This experimental setup enabled us to determine for the first time rate constants and affinity constants of annexin A1 binding to phosphatidylserine-containing layers as a function of the calcium ion concentration in solution and the cholesterol content within the outer leaflet of the solid-supported bilayer. The results reveal that a decrease in Ca(2+) concentration from 1 mM to 100 microM significantly increases the rate of annexin A1 binding to the membrane independent of the cholesterol content. However, the presence of cholesterol in the membrane altered the affinity constants considerably. While the association constant decreases with decreasing Ca(2+) concentration in the case of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC)/1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoserine (POPS) membranes lacking cholesterol, it remains high in the presence of cholesterol.

Quantification of the Raf-C1 interaction with solid-supported bilayers.

By use of the quartz crystal microbalance technique, the interaction of the Raf-Ras binding domain (RafRBD) and the cysteine-rich domain Raf-C1 with lipids was quantified by using solid-supported bilayers immobilized on gold electrodes deposited on 5 MHz quartz plates. Solid-supported lipid bilayers were composed of an initial octanethiol monolayer chemisorbed on gold and a physisorbed phospholipid monolayer varying in its lipid composition as the outermost layer. The integrity of bilayer preparation was monitored by impedance spectroscopy. For binding experiments, a protein construct comprising the RafRBD and Raf-C1 linked to the maltose binding protein and a His tag, termed MBP-Raf-C1, was used. Dissociation constants and rate constants of the association and dissociation were obtained for various 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC)/1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoserine (DMPS) lipid mixtures. Independently of the phosphatidylserine (PS) content, the dissociation constants were in the order of 5x10(-7) M, while the on-rate constants were in the range of 2x10(3) (M s)(-1) and the off-rate constants in the range of 1x10(-3) s(-1). The maximum frequency shift increased significantly with increasing amounts of DMPS; this indicates that this negatively charged lipid is the primary binding site for MBP-Raf-C1. Exchange of DMPS for 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol (DMPG) did not alter the thermodynamics and kinetics of protein binding, which implies that the protein interaction is mainly electrostatically driven. Scanning force microscopy (SFM) was employed to render protein adsorption visible and to confirm the assumption of a protein monolayer on the lipid layer. SFM images clearly revealed that the protein binds preferentially, but not solely, to negatively charged phosphatidylserine headgroups. We hypothesize that PS-enriched domains are initial binding sites with high affinity for Raf-C1, but that lateral interactions may account for protein domain growth.

Reproducible measurement of single-molecule conductivity.

A reliable method has been developed for making through-bond electrical contacts to molecules. Current-voltage curves are quantized as integer multiples of one fundamental curve, an observation used to identify single-molecule contacts. The resistance of a single octanedithiol molecule was 900 +/- 50 megohms, based on measurements on more than 1000 single molecules. In contrast, nonbonded contacts to octanethiol monolayers were at least four orders of magnitude more resistive, less reproducible, and had a different voltage dependence, demonstrating that the measurement of intrinsic molecular properties requires chemically bonded contacts.

A method to study the phase transition and desorption of self-assembled monolayers on planar gold surfaces.

In-plane resistance of thin gold films (thickness approximately 1,000 A) after the formation of self-assembled monolayers has been measured as a function of temperature. We attribute the observed increase in the slope of the resistance vs temperature plot in the case of octadecanethiol and octanethiol monolayers at characteristic temperatures to phase transitions. The structural transition of 1,4-benzenedimethanethiol is also manifested similarly. Propanethiol does not show any phase transition, as expected. The observed changes in the alkanethiol monolayers are related to the decrease in the lifetime of the parallel vibrational motion of the adsorbate on the gold surface. The increase in slope is followed by a decrease which is attributed to the commencement of desorption of monolayers from the gold surface.

Rapid Self-Assembly of Alkanethiol Monolayers on Sputter-Grown Au(111)

Atomically flat, sputter-grown Au(111) films allowed well-ordered alkanethiol (exemplified by octanethiol) monolayers to be self-assembled from solution markedly faster and in larger domain sizes than previously reported. An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed that complete monolayer coverage was reached by 0.2−60 min of incubation in 0.1−0.001 mM ethanolic solution at room temperature (∼17 °C), with single-step (0.1 and 0.01 mM) or two-step (0.001 mM) adsorption kinetics. Increasing the temperature to 35 °C was enough to cause a single-step, diffusion-controlled adsorption also from the 0.001 mM solution, yielding the full monolayer coverage in approximately 10 min. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) imaging proved that well-ordered islands, with the (√3 × √3)R30° structure more-or-less strongly modulated by the c(4 × 2) superlattice, begin to form at 0.6−0.7 monolayer coverage most likely by homogeneous nucleation and grow rapidly thereafter. This kinetics of ordering requiring the conside...

Evidence for multilayer formation of melittin on solid-supported phospholipid membranes by shear-wave resonator measurements

The adsorption of the peptide melittin from Apis mellifera on solid-supported membranes (SSM) consisting of octanethiol and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl- sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) was investigated by quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements in a wide concentration range. The SSM were prepared by fusion of unilamellar phospholipid-vesicles on hydrophobic octanethiol monolayers previously chemisorbed on the gold electrode of a polished 5 MHz AT-cut quartz crystal. The bilayer formation was monitored by impedance spectroscopy revealing a mean specific capacitance of (1.0±0.1) μF/cm 2 for the bilayer. The adsorption of melittin on these SSM up to a concentration of 20 μM in solution was followed by QCM-measurements. The adsorption isotherm exhibits three distinct regions. Up to a melittin concentration of 8–10 μM a submonomolecular coverage of the POPC-monolayer with melittin without any damage of the membrane structure was observed. Increasing the melittin concentration up to 20 μM leads evidently to a multilayer adsorption which is discussed either in terms of monomer or tetramer stacking to the surface. In this concentration-range of 8–20 μM the shift in the resonant frequency of the quartz crystal increases almost linear with the concentration of the peptide in solution. Higher concentrations than 20 μM result in a partial detachment of the POPC-monolayer confirmed by an increase of the specific capacitance and a dramatic increase of the resonant frequency. In order to evaluate the first part of the isotherm an electrostatic adsorption model was applied due to the positively charged peptide.