Complex surface structures with molecular-scale organization and chemical functionality have garnered tremendous attention in recent years for applications including biocompatible surfaces and molecular-scale lithographic resists.  Alkanethiol-based chemical films assembled onto Au surfaces are commonly utilized for these applications.  However, the majority of alkanethiol-based fabrication strategies only create two-dimensional surface architectures due to their reliance on the assembly of monomolecular films.  One strategy to generate three-dimensional chemical films utilizes the sequential deposition of mercaptoalkanoic acid molecules and coordinated metal ions where the overall film thickness of the multilayer film is governed by the number of iterations in the deposition process.  We have combined this multilayer assembly strategy with nanoshaving to characterize and to manipulate the local structure of these multilayer films.  Nanoshaving is a type of atomic force microscopy lithography that utilizes an atomic force microscopy tip to displace adsorbed molecules from a surface to reveal the underlying Au substrate.  The local thickness and surface morphology of these multilayer films will be investigated.  Further, we will demonstrate that various layers of the multilayer film can be removed by tuning the nanoshaving force. This combination of molecular assembly and scanning probe lithography illustrates a general approach to generate three-dimensional chemical films with varied surface chemistries.

Atomic force microscopy and lithography of mercaptoalkanoic acid "molecular ruler" multilayers

248th National Meeting (2014)

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