Ultrathin molecular films

J. Van Alsten, S. Granick. Molecular tribometry of ultrathin liquid films. Phys Rev Lett (57 2570-2573, 1988. 

SR Forrest, Ultrathin organic films grown by organic molecular beam deposition and related techniques, Chem. Rev., 97 1793-1896, 1997. 

Tunnelling electrons from a STM have also been used to excite photon emission from individual molecules, as has been demonstrated for Zn(II)-etioporphyrin I, adsorbed on an ultrathin alumina film (about 0.5 nm thick) grown on a NiAl(l 10) surface (Qiu et al, 2003). Such experiments have demonstrated the feasibility of fluorescence spectroscopy with submolecular precision, since hght emission is very sensitive to tip position inside the molecule. As mentioned before the oxide spacer serves to reduce the interaction between the molecule and the metal. The weakness of the molecule-substrate interaction is essential for the observation of STM-excited molecular fluorescence. 

Alfassi, Z. B S. Padmaja, P. Neta, and R. E. Huie, Rate Constants for Reactions of NO, Radicals with Organic Compounds in Water and Acetonitrile, J. Phys. Chem., 97, 3780-3782 (1993). Allen, H. C., J. M. Laux, R. Vogt, B. J. Finlayson-Pitts, and J. C. Hemminger, Water-Induced Reorganization of Ultrathin Nitrate Films on NaCI—Implications for the Tropospheric Chemistry of Sea Salt Particles, J. Phys. Chem., 100, 6371-6375 (1996). Allen, H. C., D. E. Gragson, and G. L. Richmond, Molecular Structure and Adsorption of Dimethyl Sulfoxide at the Surface of Aqueous Solutions, J. Phys. Chem. B, 103, 660-666 (1999). Anthony, S. E R. T. Tisdale, R. S. Disselkamp, and M. A. Tolbert, FTIR Studies of Low Temperature Sulfuric Acid Aerosols, Geophys. Res. Lett., 22, 1105-1108 (1995). 

S. Sortino, S. Petralia, S. Conoci, and S. Di Bella, Novel self-assembled Monolayers of dipolar ruthe-nium(III/II) pentaammine(4,4/-bipyridinium) complexes on ultrathin platinum films as redox molecular switches, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 125, 1122—1123 (2003). 

Stroeve, P. Franses, E. Molecular Engineering of Ultrathin Polymeric Films 1987, Elsevier Applied Science Publishers, Crown House, Essex, England. 

Molecularly thin lubricant film is an important application of nanoscale confined polymeric fluids, and is the focus of this chapter. Ultrathin lubricant films are necessary in high-density data storage to increase the reliability and performance of hard-disk drive (HDD) systems [2-4]. Spinoff and intermittent contact between the slider (or head) and the lubricated disk [ultrathin perfluoropolyether (PFPE) films are applied to the disk s carbon-overcoated surface, as shown in Fig. 1.1] cause loss and reflow of the lubricant film. The relevant HDD technology is summarized briefly in the end-of-chapter Appendix Section A.I, which provides an overview of how certain information technology devices are controlled by nanoscale chemistry. 

Thick organic polymer resist films are used for the conventional lithography. Their thicknesses are dozens to hundreds of nanometers. When a processing size becomes small and enters nanometer order in electron beam lithography, scattering of electrons in a resist causes various problems, such as the proximity effect. The variation in molecular mass of each molecule which forms the resist also reduces the resolution. If the ultrathin resist film of several nanometers thickness will be realized, the lithography of higher resolution will become possible. 

Kubota, A., and Economou, D. J., A molecular-dynamics simulation of ultrathin oxide films on silicon Growth by thermal O atoms and sputtering by 100 eV Ar ions. IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 27,1416-1425 (1999). 

Murphy, A.R. et al., Self-assembly, molecular ordering, and charge mobility in solution-processed ultrathin oligothiophene films, Chem. Mater 17, 6033-6041, 2005. 

J.D. Le Grange, M.G. Kuzyk and K.D. Singer, NSF Workshop on the Molecular Engineering of Ultrathin Polymeric Films, Davis, CA, February, 1987. 

Molecular Engineering of Ultrathin Polymeric Films, P. Stroeve, E. Franses (Eds.), Elsevier, Amsterdam. 

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