A new cleaning methodology for efficient Au-SAM removal

The desorption of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of 11-amino-1-undecanethiol (AUT) formed on an Au polycrystalline electrode was investigated with the purpose of establishing the most efficient method for SAM removal prior to electrode re-use. The cleanliness of the surface was evaluated by assessing the characteristics (and their reproducibility) of a newly prepared SAM (on a freshly cleaned electrode) in the presence of Ru(NH3)63+/2+ probe species. The simple flame annealing of the modified electrodes showed poor reproducibility. Later, cleaning treatments based on previous reports about the electrochemical desorption of SAMs, were investigated in NaOH, HClO4, and KCl solutions. The anodic removal in alkaline and chloride solutions was not efficient enough due to the effect of the Au surface oxidation and dissolution. The commonly used reductive desorption in alkaline solution did also not offer a high efficiency (in contrast with the behavior described in those reports) probably due to the low stability of the thiolate molecules at high-pH values. In addition, such procedures did not provide a way to visualize the evolution of the process. The oxidative desorption in perchloric acid showed a higher efficiency at each single desorption cycle, and allowed to monitor the extension of the removal by comparing the cyclic voltammograms obtained in that medium with the expected fingerprint for the bare Au. However the voltammetric characterization of new AUT films, prepared on such electrochemically treated surfaces by re-incubation in the AUT solution, showed that the conditions of substrate cleanliness and smoothness necessaries to reproduce a close-packed and compact AUT monolayer were not reached. A new cleaning strategy based on the coupled use of oxidative removal in HClO4 0.1 M and flame annealing showed to be efficient and reproducible, providing the proper substrate precursors for the formation of highly ordered AUT films. The results also showed that the methodology works well in the removal of other SAMs like the one formed by the neutral 1-dodecanethiol (1-DT).