@article{OrganicSelf-AssembledMonolayers:ChemicalandStructuralResponsestoTemperature:3669,
      recid = {3669},
      author = {Brown, Sarah},
      title = {Organic Self-Assembled Monolayers: Chemical and Structural  Responses to Temperature, Light, and Reactive Gas Species},
      publisher = {The University of Chicago},
      school = {Ph.D.},
      address = {2022-03},
      pages = {104},
      abstract = {Characterising the structural dynamics of materials is  crucial to their implementation in real-world applications.  Knowing how a system will respond to a particular stimulus,  and understanding that response from a fundamental  chemistry standpoint, is key to success in nanoscience.  Accordingly, this thesis describes the use of kinetics and  dynamics experiments to relate the structural behaviour of  organic self-assembled monolayers to their  environmentalconditions.
The work herein examines three  different self-assembled monolayers perturbed by three  different external stresses. First, we present the classic  self-assembly system of alkanethiols on Au(111) and show  how their ability to effectively passivate metal surfaces  when bombarded with reactive gas species is strongly  dependent on both film thickness and substrate temperature.  The use of localised imaging techniques such as scanning  tunnelling microscopy (STM) allows us to relate these  observations to the monolayer restructuring and surface  rearrangement that occurs throughout the reaction.
Second,  we study how the topographical and crystalline nature of  novel wafer-scale two-dimensional (2D) porphyrin polymers  (specifically, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)) are  impacted by sample annealing and post-anneal cooling rates.  Understanding these temperature-dependent structural phases  is important for knowing the application limitations of  such films – and for recognising previously unknown  application potential.
Finally, we explore the cooperative  dynamics of azobenzene-functionalised liquid crystal (LC)  thin films in response to irradiation with ultraviolet (UV)  light. Although much work has already been done on the  production of azo-functionalised thin films, it remains  challenging to induce simultaneous and coherent  isomerisation of an entire film. Understanding the dynamic  interaction between molecules within the film is therefore  crucial to making uniformly switchable films a molecular  engineering reality.},
      url = {http://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/3669},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.6082/uchicago.3669},
}