The surface assembly of 4-chloromethylphenyltrichlorosilane (CMPS) within exposed sites of nanopores was investigated in selected solvents to gain insight of the mechanism of self-polymerization. Our strategy was to prepare a test platform of nanoholes to confine the surface assembly of CMPS to discrete sites of Si(111) for the reaction to proceed. Areas surrounding the nanoholes were passivated with a methyl-terminated film, to prevent non-specific attachment of CMPS throughout the surface. Platforms of nanoholes were fabricated within a film of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) using immersion particle lithography. After OTS nanopores were successfully prepared and characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM) the samples were immersed in solutions of CMPS prepared with selected solvents (toluene, dichloromethane, bicyclohexane). The substrates were then removed at certain intervals to compare the growth of CMPS nanostructuctures over time according to the nature of the solvent. Analysis of AFM images provided quantitative information of the surface self-assembly reaction. Pillar nanostructures of CMPS with different heights and diameters were produced exclusively within the exposed nanopore areas of the Si(111) substrates. Throughout the reaction, the surrounding matrix of OTS did not show evidence of CMPS growth; the surface assembly of CMPS was strictly confined within the nanopores. The heights of CMPS nanostructures indicate that multilayers were formed, with taller columns generated after longer immersion times. These experiments demonstrate new directions for using particle lithography to study surface reactions at the molecular-level.

Self-polymerization of 4-(chloromethyl)phenyltrichlorosilane within spatially-confined sites of Si(111) investigated in selected solvents

247th National Meeting (2014)

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