Template-directed self-assembly of alkanethiol monolayers: selective growth on preexisting monolayer edges

Self-assembled monolayers were investigated for their suitability as two-dimensional scaffolds for the selective growth of alkanethiol edge structures. Heterostructures with chemical contrast could be grown, whose dimensions were governed by both the initial pattern sizes and the process time. n-Octadecanethiol (ODT) was made to expand from the edges of 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid (MHDA) monolayer patterns. Likewise, 11-mercaptoundecanol (MUD) was grown on MHDA and on ODT monolayer edges. The results of these experiments are in accordance with the moving boundary model for monolayer spreading. In addition to such surface-bound spreading, a vapor-phase contribution to lateral monolayer growth was identified. MUD was observed to be an excellent ink for creating chemical contrast by means of regioselective deposition from a vapor phase. As a proof of principle, ribbons of 11-mercaptoundecanol with submicrometer widths were grown on pentaerythritol-tetrakis(3-mercaptopropionate) edges, and submicrometer wide gold lines were produced by subsequent wet-chemical etching.