Protective properties of dodecanethiol layers on copper surfaces: The effect of chloride anions in aqueous environments

The protective properties of dodecanethiol layers against copper corrosion in a Borax buffer containing chloride anions are investigated by using elec trochemical techniques complemented with scanning tunneling microscopy. Res ults show that copper is protected against corrosion provided that the copp er electrode does not reach the potential region of Cu(II) oxide formation and the concentration of chloride ions in the environment remains low. Thes e findings should be taken into account for the use of alkanethiol layers f or the corrosion protection of copper.