Controlled Assembly of 1,4-Phenylenedimethanethiol Molecular Nanostructures

We present here the first high-resolution scanning tunneling microscope images showing that 1,4-phenylenedimethanethiol forms mono- and multilayers on gold(111) substrates under particular solution-deposition conditions. The high-resolution images show that the deposition conditions strongly influence the type of surface structure formed. The molecular structures were also probed using molecular-etching techniques and through deposition and imaging of gold nanoparticles. The current−voltage ( I − V ) characteristics of the multilayer structures are significantly different from those of monolayers. For the first time, scanning electron microscopy experiments were used to investigate the homogeneity of larger surface areas of the surface structures.