Nguyen Thuc-Quyen, Bushey Mark L, Brus Louis E, Nuckolls Colin
Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
J Am Chem Soc. 2002 Dec 18;124(50):15051-4. doi: 10.1021/ja028524h.
This study utilizes atomic force microscopy and electrostatic force microscopy to investigate the orientation of overcrowded aromatics in films with submonolayer coverage. The results demonstrate that the side chains in the molecules can be used as a tool to control the molecular order and orientation in thin films. For molecules that do not self-associate well, the interaction with the substrate dominates, and the molecules orient with their aromatic planes parallel to the surface. These monolayers have measurable polar order. For molecules that self-associate well, the opposite orientation is observed. These films are comprised of isolated stacks of molecules parallel to the surface.
