Preparation and characterization of 3-mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane self-assembled monolayers

Silane coupling regent (3-mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane (MPTS)) was prepared on the single-crystal silicon substrate to form 2-dimensional self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). The growth behavior of SAMs formed from 3-MPTS was investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle measurements, ellipsometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The formation behavior of MPTS SAMs was investigated by a series of AFM images and the roughness of MPTS SAMs on silicon substrates with the assembling time from 1 min to 24 h. The water contact angle measurements indicated the growth behavior of MPTS that correlated with the AFM measurements at different immersion times, too. The chemical states of the typical elements in the MPTS SAMs were analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results show that MPTS is self-assembled on the substrate.