Formation of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) self-assembled monolayers on amorphous alumina

Abstract The kinetics and thermodynamics of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on vapor deposited alumina were quantified. Ozone cleaning serves to create well-defined hydrophilic surfaces for OTS attachment, and the use of heptane as a solvent enables the formation of high quality SAMs under ambient conditions. The kinetics was characterized as a function of OTS concentration using contact angle goniometry, ellipsometry and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The kinetics of SAM formation and the saturation contact angle (∼100) on alumina are comparable to what has been observed for OTS on silicon. The free energy of adsorption with ΔGads values ranged from −7.5 to −5.4 kcal/mol, and the SAMs were stable up to 230 C. The critical surface tension of the OTS monolayer was found to be 21.4 dyne/cm.