Self-assembling of cyano- and carboxyl-terminated monolayers using short-chain alkylsiloxane

A simple method was developed for the preparation of cyano- and carboxyl-terminated alkylsiloxane monolayers on the hydroxylated surface of the SiO2/Si substrate through using adsorption and hydrolysis reaction of a short-chain 2-cyanoethyl triethoxysilane [(CH3CH2O)3SiCH2CH2CN]. The contact angle and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements have proved that the cyano terminal group indeed formed on the substrate and was transformed into the carboxylic terminal group after hydrolysis. The ellipsometry shows the presence of an intact monolayer with thickness of around 0.7 nm before and during the hydrolysis reaction. The surface morphology was observed with atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging. Those all indicate that uniform and ordered self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) were formed on the substrate.