CHARACTERIZATION OF THIOL SELF-ASSEMBLED FILMS BY LASER DESORPTION FOURIER-TRANSFORM MASS-SPECTROMETRY

Self-assembled alkanethiol monolayers on gold films have been studied using the technique of laser desorption coupled with Fourier transform mass spectrometry. We demonstrate that thiol molecules can be desorbed intact using 193-nm laser radiation. Information on the self-assembled films at a molecular level is achieved. In addition to the well-known thiolate species, alkane sulfonates resulting from air exposure of the self-assembled film are also detected. No phase segregation greater-than-or-equal-to 30-mu-m is observed from the laser desorption of self-assembled films made of alkanethiol mixtures.