Evolution of conformational order during self-assembly of n-alkanethiols on Hg droplets: an infrared spectromicroscopy study.

This Letter describes Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy evidence for the evolution of conformational order and coverage during the formation of n-alkanethiol monolayers on microdroplets of mercury from the solution phase. At the highest coverages obtained by self-assembly, the monolayer is characterized by predominantly all-trans conformational order. For partial monolayers obtained at arbitrarily quenched incubation periods, we find a continuous evolution of the chain conformational order with monolayer coverage. Analyzing these results in light of previously reported models from X-ray scattering reveals a complex self assembly process in which the density-dependent evolution of the chain conformational order is coupled with that of molecular orientation and density.