Enhancement of Structural Strength of Octadecylphosphonic Acid Film on Aluminum by Ion Bombardment

Abstract

Surface modification with kinematics-driven reaction on uniform and well-ordered Octadecylphosphonic acid (OPA) Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) on aluminium (Al) oxide surface is reported and few of its mechanical properties using different surface analysis techniques are characterized. The hyper thermal hydrogen induced collision (HHIC) approach with low proton energy can induce the hydrocarbon long chain chemical bonding and the actual ordered lattice into an array of clusters of the Octadecylphosphonic acid virgin film. By controlling the kinematics-driven reaction fluence at constant bombardment energy, the nanocluster growth of OPA coated surface has been modified on aluminum oxide substrate. In a specified reaction condition with a controllable degree of cross-linking, this hyper thermal hydrogen-driven reaction can change the cluster shape. The LB film on oxidized Al was the only system stable enough to retain a cohesive and smooth molecular layer after the cross-linking process in compared with Muscovite mica and silicon oxide substrates. The better mechanical strength of the OPA film on aluminum was reported, indeed.