Synergistic Metrology of Anti-Fouling Properties for Mixed Self-Assembled Monolayers
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Abstract
The work presented in this dissertation focuses on studying the anti-fouling behavior of "conflicted" interfaces, where phase separation is restricted or eliminated, using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). The adsorbates used to generate the SAMs were comprised of chemically disparate species that are held in close proximity, while preferring to be apart. Three types of SAM surfaces were generated for this dissertation from unsymmetrical partially fluorinated spiroalkanedithiols, unsymmetrical oligo(ethylene glycol) spiroalkanedithiols, and various mixtures of hydrocarbon and partially fluorinated aromatic dithiol adsorbates. All of the bidentate SAM surfaces, spiroalkanedithiol and aromatic dithiol, were compared to the monothiol analogs to evaluate their anti-fouling properties. Properties were investigated with a synergistic approach using ellipsometry, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy, quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The "conflicted" nature of the surfaces was found to positively impact the anti-fouling properties of the SAMs, particularly where the surface was comprised of a mixed partially fluorinated interface. However, the architecture and nature of the conflicted olio(ethylene glycol) spiroalkanedithiol adsorbate proved detrimental towards the anti-adhesive properties of these types of SAMs. The various analytical techniques provide a robust synergistic characterization method with reproducibility to determine anti-fouling properties of self-assembled monolayers.