PENETRATION OF VACUUM-DEPOSITED SILVER INTO OCTADECANETHIOL SELF-ASSEMBLED MONOLAYERS STUDIED WITH ISS

A study of the penetration of evaporated silver overlayers into an organized molecular assembly (OMA) of octadecanethiol (ODT)-CH3(CH2)17SH self-assembled onto a gold substrate was conducted at room temperature using ISS. Spectra taken immediately after deposition show a concentration of silver at the surface of the OMA. Spectra taken after one hour after deposition of the silver show a decrease in the concentration of silver at the OMA surface. ISS spectra show no silver at the OMA surface after 16 h and a concentration of silver at the gold/thiol interface. These results not only confirm the previous work of Tarlov [Langmuir 8 (1992) 80], but also bracket the limits on the rate of penetration of the deposited silver through the ODT OMA.