Investigation of the interactions between alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers and a liquid overlayer using impedance spectroscopy

We report on changes in the complex impedance response of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) that result from the growth of an alkanethiol monolayer on the electrodes of the device. The purpose of this work is to understand the evolution of the interactions between alkanethiol–gold monolayers and a liquid overlayer as a function of time after initial deposition by evaluating the position, shape, and linewidth of the impedance spectra associated with the monolayer formation. We relate the complex impedance response of the QCM to the mass and viscosity of the monolayer through an established equivalent circuit model. The data show the organization of alkanethiol SAMs occurs at approximately the same rate for aliphatic chain lengths in the range of C9–C16, as long as the thiol is readily soluble in the solvent system used. Our data are consistent with SAM annealing being mediated by the sulfur–gold adsorption and desorption equilibrium. Additionally, we have found that examination of a C18 SAM is limited by the deposition conditions and thiol solubility. Bulk deposition was confirmed visually and related to the evolution of the peak position and shape changes with deposition time.