Layer-by-Layer Growth of Oriented Metal Organic Polymers on a Functionalized Organic Surface

A metal-organic coordination polymer based on benzenetricarboxylic acid ligands and Zn(II) ions was grown on a COOH-terminated organic surface in a stepwise fashion. The deposited films were characterized using a number of surface analysis techniques, including X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. IR measurements show that the metal-organic coordination polymer grows in a layer-by-layer fashion and can be reversibly loaded with NH3. The deposition is very selective and occurs only on COOH-terminated regions of an organic surface, as demonstrated by AFM measurements.