Molecular and Supramolecular Control of the Work Function of an Inorganic Electrode with Self-Assembled Monolayer of Umbrella-Shaped Fullerene Derivatives

The surface properties of inorganic substrates can be altered by coating with organic molecules, which may result in the improvement of the properties suitable for electronic or biological applications. This article reports a systematic experimental study on the influence of the molecular and supramolecular properties of umbrella-shaped penta(organo) [60] fullerene derivatives, and on the work function and the water contact angle of indium-tin oxide (ITO) and gold surfaces. We could relate these macroscopic characteristics to single-molecular level properties, such as ionization potential and molecular dipole. The results led us to conclude that the formation of a SAM of a polar compound generates an electronic field through intermolecular interaction of the molecular charges, and this field makes the overall dipole of the SAM much smaller than the one expected from the simple sum of the dipoles of all molecules in the SAM. This effect, which was called depolarization and previously discussed theoretically, is now quantitatively probed by experiments. The important physical properties in surface science such as work function, ionization potential, and water contact angles have been mutually correlated at the level of molecular structures and molecular orientations on the substrate surface. We also found that the SAMs on ITO and gold operate under the same principle except that the "push-back" effect operates specifically for gold. The study also illustrates the ability of the photoelectron yield spectroscopy technique to rapidly measure the work function of a SAM-covered substrate and the ionization potential value of a molecule on the surface.