Self-Assembled Monolayers (SAMs) are one-molecule-thick films that form spontaneously and have properties that are useful in the field of nanotechnology, such as for biosensors or molecular electronics, which has gained traction in recent years. Delamination is the peeling away of a layer of material from the substrate, this stops the substrate from being used to form the SAM. It is important to limit this delamination for the self-assembly of molecules to work, and for the long-term stability of the monolayers. Self-assembled monolayers also stabilise colloidal nanocrystals, providing additional functionality. It has been proposed that a mixed monolayer of thiobenzoic acid (TBA, a photo-initiator) and 2-propene-1-thiol (PTA, a cross-linking agent) or tert-Dodecyl mercaptan (TDM, a different cross-linking agent) on nanocrystals can facilitate UV-initiated cross-linking when the nanocrystals are in polymer solution. To test the compatibility of TBA and PT in a mixed self-assembled monolayer, we aimed to deposit such mixed SAMs on the silver substrates. The research began by sputtering an adhesion layer of Titanium (Ti) on substrates of Fine Quartz (FQ) or Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) so that a layer of Silver (Ag) could be layered on top. Different thicknesses were tested to see which layers have minimal delamination and maximum wetting as well as different conditions to see which ones survive ultrasonication.
Patrick Hynes (Thu,) studied this question.