Response of a ODT monolayer to rapid heating studied by vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: A self-assembled monolayer of octadecanethiol adsorbed on a thin film of Au was flash-heated by illuminating the structure, further consisting of a glass substrate and a Ti contact layer, with a 19 ps laser pulse of 532 nm light from the backside, inducing a temperature increase by 113 K within 100 ps. The details of the temporal evolution of the temperature can be well modeled when taking into account the predominant light absorption in the Ti layer and the large thermal boundary resistance between the layers. The evolution of the molecular structure is time-resolved by vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy. While the molecules are initially tilted by 30° with respect to the surface normal, this order is rapidly lost, whereby the disordering lags 150 ps behind the temperature evolution. After 400 ps, the molecular order is dissolved.
Source: The Journal of Chemical Physics
DOI: 10.1063/5.0321396
Authors: Matthias Linke, Eckart Hasselbrink
Institution: University of Duisburg-Essen
Language: English
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,500
Funder: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
OpenAlex ID: W7140127265