Self-assembled alkanethiol structures on gold: A further insight into the origins of structural rearrangement phenomena

Self-assembled structures of alkanethiols that have been deposited on gold from ethanolic solutions are susceptible to both chemical and physical changes: ethanol provides a medium for the formation of S-alkyl hydrogen thiocarbonates and related compounds via reaction with dissolved, atmospheric, CO2. Deposition from ethanolic solutions results in multilayered structures incorporating these compounds, which at room temperature are susceptible to time-dependent structural rearrangement and molecular migration.