Self-assembled monolayers future applications

Senaratne, W., Andruzzi, L. and Ober, C. K. (2005) Self-assembled monolayers and polymer brushes in biotechnology Current applications and future perspectives. Biomacromolecules, 6, 2427-2448. 

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on metal substrates have been the focus of unusual scientific and technological interest for two decades, as such systems provide the unique possibility to form two-dimensional structures that are organized on the molecular level in a generally perpendicular direction. SAMs are therefore considered as possible candidates for the construction of future optical, electronic, and magnetic devices of minute dimensions, as well as for various other chemical and biological applications. Electrochemical issues related to SAMs have been discussed previously [1]. 

This chapter aims to highlight the recent accomplishments made in the development of smart, dynamic, biological surfaces and their relevance for biomedical applications. The smart dynamic surfaces are mostly based on stimuli-responsive self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) [66,67] and polymer films [68-73] or on utilizing the SAMs and the polymer films as platforms for linking the stimuli-responsive material [74]. The chapter is organized according to the external stimuli used to manipulate the properties of the dynamic surface chemrcal/biochemical, thermal, electrical, and optical stimuli. A brief look at the current status and the future outlook of the field will conclude this chapter. 

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