Surface Topography of Vinyltriethoxysilane Films Deposited on the Silicon Dioxide Substrate (0001) Investigated by Atomic Force Microscopy

Abstract

The surface topography and growth behavior of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) formed from vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) at a constant temperature (20°C) on silicon dioxide substrates were investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Two methods for silanization were introduced: vapor phase deposition and deposition from a solution. The influence of deposition conditions on the topography of silane films was also studied. The property of modified SiO2substrates surface was characterized by static water contact angle measurements. The experimental results revealed that the silane films deposited from the solution method grew via islands, whereas this is not the case for vapor phase deposition. The roughness of the layers deposited via solution method first decreased and then increased with the VTES concentration increasing, while the roughness of the layers deposited via vapor phase increased straight. Furthermore, the adsorption types for silane being adsorbed on SiO2substrates were also investigated. The results indicated that there were two adsorption types in both deposition processes: physisorption and chemisorption.