Effect of Temperature on Structure of the Self-Assembled Monolayer of Decanethiol on Au(111) Surface

The structure of the self-assembled monolayers of decanethiol on a Au(111) surface prepared in 1 mM ethanol solutions at −20, 5, 25, 60, and 78 °C was examined by scanning tunneling microscopy. The higher the temperature of the solution, the larger the size of the well-ordered domain with the (√3×√3)R30° structure. The number of the vacancy islands (VIs) of the gold surface decreased while the total area of the VIs was constant, indicating that the VIs underwent ripening.