Manipulating exposed functional groups of self-assembled monolayers on gold surfaces

CHED 475

Ronald H. Strine II, rstrine@gmail.com and Gregory P. Foy, gfoy@ycp.edu. Physical Sciences Department, York College of Pennsylvania, Country Club Rd, York, PA 17405
Nanotechnology has been a rapidly growing field over the last several years. Many areas of study have opened that have yet to be explored in depth. One of these is the involvement of the exposed end of the self-assembled monolayer (SAM). For the purpose of this study the SAM is formed by introducing a thiol compound to a gold plated surface. Once this occurs, the open end of the thiol compound can be modified and utilized in various ways. This study will focus on the plausibility of creating SAMs that can be used for an array of tasks from sensors to biocompatible carriers. Once a newly functionalized compound is created it will be examined by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and analyzed for useful characteristics.