New materials synthetic methods are being investigated involving heter
ogeneous nucleation and growth of ceramic films from aqueous solutions
onto surfaces modified with organic functional groups. Dense, nanocry
stalline, iron hydroxide films were deposited onto sulfonated polystyr
ene and sulfonated self-assembling monolayers on oxidized silicon. (02
0) oriented goethite films were formed resulting in chains of edge-sha
red octahedra in the [001] direction lying parallel to the surface. De
position amounts varied with pH primarily due to changes in solution s
upersaturation. The best films were formed when deposition occurred he
terogeneously at supersaturations just below the critical supersaturat
ion. Induction times decreased with increasing sulfonate site density
due to a reduction in interfacial energy. Nucleation was initiated by
binding of cationic species to sulfonate sites and hydrolysis and cond
ensation reactions resulted in the growth and coalescence of crystalli
tes.