Self-Assembled n-Alkanethiolate Monolayers on Underpotentially Deposited Adlayers of Silver and Copper on Gold

This paper describes the use of gold films that contain underpotentially deposited (upd) metal layers of copper or silver as substrates in the generation of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). The assembly of alkanethiols to form SAMs is compatible with the presence of the upd layer and forms a system that contains an interlayer of the upd metal that is between the gold substrate and the adsorbed organic monolayer. The assembly on these substrates can accommodate both polar and nonpolar tail groups, and the resulting SAMs span the range of wettabilities (θa(H2O) =