Structural dynamics induced by self-assembled monolayers on Au(111)

Structural transformations of the Au(111) surface covered by a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of dodecanethiol molecules have been studied using variable temperature scanning tunneling microscopy in vacuum from room temperature to the desorption temperature of the SAM. Three distinct stages of surface structural change are identified as the temperature of the sample is increased: (a) island growth via Ostwald ripening; (b) formation of a stable striped phase at 365 K; and (c) rapid structural transformation induced by the desorption of the SAM at 400 K demonstrating the effect of the SAM in kinetically hindered surface growth.