Surface Dipoles and Work Functions of Alkylthiolates and Fluorinated Alkylthiolates on Au(111)

TL;DR

This study uses density functional theory to analyze how alkylthiolate and fluorinated alkylthiolate monolayers on Au(111) influence surface dipoles and work functions, highlighting the dominant role of intrinsic molecular dipoles.

Contribution

It provides a detailed decomposition of surface dipoles into gold-adsorbate and intrinsic molecular contributions, showing their additive nature and impact on work function changes.

Findings

Alkylthiolates increase the work function of Au(111).

Fluorinated alkylthiolates decrease the work function.

Surface dipole contributions are approximately additive.

Abstract

We study the dipole formation at the surface formed by -CH3 and -CF3 terminated shortchain alkyl-thiolate monolayers on Au(111). In particular, we monitor the change in work function upon chemisorption using density functional theory calculations. We separate the surface dipole into two contributions, resulting from the gold-adsorbate interaction and the intrinsic dipole of the adsorbate layer, respectively. The two contributions turn out to be approximately additive. Adsorbate dipoles are defined by calculating dipole densities of free-standing molecular monolayers. The gold-adsorbate interaction is to a good degree determined by the Au-S bond only. This bond is nearly apolar and its contribution to the surface dipole is relatively small. The surface dipole of the self-assembled monolayer is then dominated by the intrinsic dipole of the thiolate molecules. Alkyl-thiolates increase the work function of Au(111), whereas fluorinated alkyl-thiolates decrease it.