Nouvelle classe de composés pour la fonctionalisation des surfaces d'or : Les TMSA
Les surprenantes propriétés d’auto-assemblage d’une série d’organosilanes linéaires (TMSA) sur des surfaces d’or. 
The cover picture shows a 3D STM image (40×40 Å2) of a self-assembled monolayer formed by a linear polyunsaturated trimethylsilyl-acetylene (TMSA) derivative on a reconstructed gold (111) surface. Molecular resolution reveals that the TMSA molecules stand upright with the TMSA heads in contact with gold (each white-topped bump of the STM image corresponds to a single TMSA molecule). Our molecular approach demonstrates the key role played by the TMSA head in self-assembly, its origin being twofold: 1) the TMSA overlayers are commensurate to the Au (111) adlattice along the 112 direction, and 2) the CC triple bond of the TMSA moiety activates the Si atom and induces the creation of a surface complex through a SiAu chemical bond. Long-range and highly stable TMSA self-assemblies constitute an alternative to well-known alkanethiols and appear to be promising materials for applications in surface modifications. Pour en savoir plus...
