ADSORPTION MECHANISMS, STRUCTURES, AND GROWTH REGIMES OF AN ARCHETYPAL SELF-ASSEMBLING SYSTEM - DECANETHIOL ON AU(111)

We present a study using several techniques of the growth of decanethi ol monolayers deposited on single-crystal gold surfaces. Through indep endent measurements of coverage, energetics, and structure as a functi on of the growth rate and temperature, we provide a quantitative, in-d epth description of the molecular precesses by which these aliphatic m olecules ''self-assemble'' into highly ordered structures in the absen ce of a solvent. We find that the multiple-energy scales present in th ese systems produce distinct adsorption mechanisms, structures, and gr owth regimes, indicating a complexity that is likely to be a general c haracteristic of this broad class of self-assembling systems.