Weak interactions between deposited metal overlayers and organic functional groups of self-assembled monolayers

The purpose of our research is to study the reactions, interactions or penetration between vacuum-deposited metals (M) and the organic functional end groups (OFGs) of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) under controlled conditions. Metal/SAM systems are models for understanding bonding at M/organic interfaces and the concomitant adhesion between the different materials. In broad terms, the M/OFGs form interacting interfaces (e.g., Cr/COOH or Cu/COOH) in which the deposit resides on top of the OFGs or weakly interacting interfaces through which the overlayer penetrates and resides at the SAM/gold interface. We present a review of XPS results from weakly interacting systems (e.g., Cu/OH, Cu/CN, Ag/CH₃, Ag/COOH) and discuss in more depth the time-temperature dependence of the disappearance of the metal from the M/SAM interface following deposition. In this work, XPS and ISS were used to characterize octadecanethiol (ODT, HS(CH₂)₁₇CH₃), mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA, HS(CH₂)₁₀COOH), and mercaptohexadecanoic acid (MHA, HS(CH₂)₁₅COOH) SAMs before and after depositing up to 1.0 nm Ag or Cu at ca. 10⁻⁷ torr. The SAMs were prepared by self-assembly onto gold films on <100> silicon substrates in an ethanolic thiol solution. XPS spectra indicate that no strong interaction occurs between the deposited Ag and the COOH organic functional group (OFG) of MUA or MHA, although a stronger interaction is evident for MHA, and a unidentate is formed for Cu on mercaptoundecanol (MUO). The Ag interaction with ODT is weak. ISS compositional depth profiles (CDPs) for Ag on MHA and MUA and ODT are compared over a temperature range of 113 to 293 K. The ISS results indicate that Ag remains on the surface of MUA for up to 1 h after deposition, whereas Ag penetrates ODT in less than 5 min at 295 K. The time for Ag to penetrate into MHA is several times longer than for MUA, depending on the SAM temperature. The time dependence of the slower Ag penetration through MUA and MHA is compared with that for ODT at temperatures below 295 K. Although Ag/OFGs are expected to have relatively weak interactions, the Ag/COOH system was anticipated to be more interactive than was found, so rapid penetration of Ag through the COOH SAM is an unexpected result.