Investigations of the Growth of Self-Assembled Octadecylsiloxane Monolayers with Atomic Force Microscopy

 Self-assembled monolayers of octadecylsiloxane were prepared and characterized by atomic force microscopy and ellipsometry. Parameters, like the residual water concentration of the solvent and the solution age, that affect both the surface coverage and the order of the film were investigated. Besides ex-situ measurements, also in-situ atomic force microscopy was used to characterize the growth and the kinetics of the adsorption process. Furthermore, self-assembly of organic films was used as a model system for studying the influence of the measurement process on in-situ experiments in the AFM liquid cell.