Investigations of the growth of self-assembled octadecylsiloxane monolayers with atomic force microscopy

Self-assembled monolayers of octadecylsiloxane were prepared and characteri zed by atomic force microscopy and ellipsometry. Parameters, like the resid ual water concentration of the solvent and the solution age, that affect bo th the surface coverage and the order of the film were investigated, Beside s ex-situ measurements, also in-situ atomic force microscopy was used to ch aracterize the growth and the kinetics of the adsorption process. Furthermo re, self-assembly of organic films was used as a model system for studying the influence of the measurement process on in-situ experiments in the AFM liquid cell.