Local packing environment strongly influences the frictional properties of mixed CH3- and CF3-terminated alkanethiol SAMs on Au(111)

Compositionally mixed, self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) derived from 16,16,16-trifluorohexadecanethiol and a normal alkanethiol, either hexadecanethiol or pentadecanethiol, were formed on Au(111) substrates. The relative composition of the films was determined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and was found to approximately equal the equimolar composition of the isooctane solution from which they were formed. The frictional properties of the mixed films were measured on the nanometer scale using atomic force microscopy and were observed to decrease when the chain length of the CH3-terminated component was shortened by one methylene unit (i.e., when hexadecanethiol was replaced by pentadecanethiol). For comparison, the frictional properties of a mixed-chain-length CH3-terminated SAM derived from hexadecanethiol and pentadecanethiol in a 1:1 ratio was also examined. In contrast to the mixed CF3/CH3 system, the latter mixed-chain-length system exhibited relatively higher friction when compared to single-component SAMs derived solely from either hexadecanethiol or pentadecanethiol. For both types of mixed films, the change in frictional properties that occurs as a result of modifying the position of neighboring terminal groups with respect to the surface plane is discussed in terms of the influence of local packing environments on interfacial energy dissipation (friction).