Nanothin polymer coatings containing thiol and methods of use thereof

The present invention provides a new monomer and methods of using the monomer to fabricate robust polymer surface coatings with controlled thicknesses between 1 and 5 nanometers. The coatings are composed of a new material containing polymerized monomers of 4-vinylbenzenepropanethiol. The polymer surface coating may be applied to metal and silicon. The method includes exposing a metal substrate to a solution of the monomer in hexanes in order to deposit a monolayer of the monomer onto the metal surface. The substrate is then irradiated with ultraviolet radiation in order to graft a thin polymer coating onto the surface. The procedure can be repeated in order to control the thickness of the coating between about 1 nm and 5 nm. Alternatively, thermally initiated polymerization or deposition of partially oligomerized monomers onto the surface provides nanothin coatings with identical performance. The coating provides complete surface coverage, is extremely robust, and exhibits excellent insulating and anti-corrosive properties.