Ambient STM study of sequentially adsorbed octanethiol and biphenylthiol monolayers on Au(111)

The mixed monolayers of biphenyl-4-thiol (BPT) and octanethiol (OT) are studied at the molecular level using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) in ambient conditions and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) on Au(111). The effect of both the sequence of deposition, and the concentration of the BPT solution used is investigated. We observe signs of coexisting domains in the form of disordered patches surrounding flat patches when a 100 μM solution of BPT is used. This observation holds for both OT being deposited first, and BPT being deposited first. The most clear formation of coexisting domains occurs when an OT monolayer is immersed in a 100μM solution of BPT. The XP spectra reveal a shift in the C 1s signal of the monolayers that is unique to what films are deposited on the surface. These data demonstrate the importance characterizing mixed self-assembled monolayers that form final monolayer structures unique to each mixture.