ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPIC STUDIES ON THE GROWTH OF SELF-ASSEMBLED MONOLAYERS ON SRTIO3-SURFACES

The growth mechanism of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) on SrTiO3 subst rates has been investigated by wettability and force microscopy measur ements. The films were formed by the self-assembly technique. It was f ound that growth proceeded via two types of islands: large 'fractal-li ke' islands and smaller circular patches of molecules. The patches gro w by attachment of monomers and coalescence with other islands. The ov erall growth mode obeyed first order Langmuir kinetics and is found to be similar to the growth of alkylsiloxanes on SiO2 and mica The diffe rence between growth on SrTiO3 and SrTiO3:Nb is that the growth rate i s slower on the latter substrate. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All r ights reserved.