Characterization of alkyl monolayer covalently bonded to Si(111) and soft-landing of vanadium-benzene sandwich clusters onto the alkyl monolayer substrate

• Published in: The European physical journal. D, Atomic, molecular and optical physics (Print) Atomic, molecular and optical physics (Print), 2009-04, Vol.52 (1-3), p.99-102
• Main Authors: Matsumoto, T., Nagaoka, S., Ikemoto, K., Mitsui, M., Ara, M., Tada, H., Nakajima, A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applications of Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos Theory; Atomic; Atomic and molecular clusters; Atomic and molecular physics; Diffusion and dynamics of clusters; Exact sciences and technology; ISSPIC’14 - 14th International Symposium on Small Particles and Inorganic Cluster; Molecular; Optical and Plasma Physics; Physical Chemistry; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Quantum Information Technology; Quantum Physics; Spectroscopy/Spectrometry; Spintronics; Stability and fragmentation of clusters; Studies of special atoms, molecules and their ions; clusters
• ISSN: 1434-6060; 1434-6079
• DOI: 10.1140/epjd/e2009-00069-9

A hexadecyl monolayer covalently attached to Si(111) surfaces (C 16 –Si(111)) was prepared at 200  ○ C from 1-hexadecene. Formation of the monolayer was characterized by water contact angle measurement, attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Gas phase synthesized vanadium (V)-benzene (Bz) 1:2 (VBz 2 ) sandwich clusters were size-selectively deposited onto the C 16 –Si(111) substrate thus prepared and an oxidized Si substrate. Investigation of the resultant clusters was implemented by thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). About 30 K increase in threshold desorption temperature of the landed clusters was observed on going from the oxidized Si to the C 16 –Si(111) substrate, a result indicating that the clusters are more strongly bound to the C 16 –Si(111) than to the oxidized Si. This result was explained by the penetration of the landed clusters into the hexadecyl monolayer.