Characterization of Triazinedithiolsilane Polymeric Nanofilm Fabricated by Galvanostatic Technique on Copper surface

The polymeric nanofilm of a triazinedithiolsilane monosodium salt (abbreviated as TESPA) has been prepared by electrochemical technique and the following hydrolysis-condensation approach. The chemical composition and the morphology of the TESPA polymeric nanofilm were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) as well as energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and scanning electron microscope- (SEM), respectively. The XPS results reveal that: (1) Some dithiol groups from TESPA monomers electrochemically bond to copper surface and others polymerize to develop the polymeric structure of the disulfide units. These preferentially developed disulfide units protect the copper during the whole preparation process. (2) As the polymeric nanofilm is hydrolyzed, the obtained silanol groups could condense with each other to yield the siloxane networks along with the residual silanol groups under vacuum at high temperature. The SEM-EDS results demonstrate that the copper surfaces are uniformly covered with the polymeric nanofilms. New interface phases shape when the polymeric nanofilms are hydrolyzed with/without heating, which possess the multifunctionality of resisting corrosion and activating copper surface simultaneously.