PM-IRRAS studies of the adsorption and stability of organophosphonate monolayers on passivated NiTi surfaces

Alkylphosphonic acids of different alkyl chain lengths were adsorbed on electrochemically polished NiTi surfaces from ethanolic solutions. The electropolishing process led to passive films mainly composed of Ti-oxyhydroxide. The surface showed nanoscopic etching pits with a depths of about 2 nm and a diameter of about 20 nm. The interfacial binding mechanism of the phosphonic acid group to the oxyhydroxide surface and the ordering of the monolayer were spectroscopically analysed by means of infrared reflection absorption FTIR-spectroscopy with (PM-IRRAS) and without (IRRAS) photoelastic modulation. The comparison of IRRAS and PM-IRRAS data of the long chain octadecylphosphonic acid monolayer proved that the binding mechanism of the phosphonic acid group to the oxyhydroxide surface is based on a mono- or bidentate bond, which is not stable in the presence of high water activities. An alkyl chain length of 17 CH₂ groups is required for the formation of self-assembled monolayers, which are stable in aqueous environments. These long chain aliphatic organophosphonic acid monolayers were shown to inhibit anodic and cathodic surface reactions.