Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Vol.254, No.2, 410-413, 2002
Existence of a hydrophobic gap at the alkanethiol SAM-water interface: An interfacial capacitance study
The highly hydrophobic neat alkanethiol-coated SAM on evaporated gold shows an unusually low interfacial capacitance in aqueous media. This result cannot be explained by a simple parallel plate model of the double layer with the alkanethiol monolayer as a sole dielectric separator. Interestingly, a hydrophilic SAM prepared from a neat hydroxy thiol does not show any such capacitance lowering in aqueous media. Our results suggest the existence of a "hydrophobic gap" between the alkanethiol SAM-water interface. Such a model is also very much consistent with the predictions of Lum, Chandler, and Weeks theory of length scale dependent hydrophobicity.
Keywords:drying effect;neat alkanethiol;length scale dependent hydrophobicity;Lum;Chandler;and Weeks theory;impedance spectroscopy;capacitance;hydrophilic SAM