Understanding the kinetics of tethering by aggregation and growth of phosphonic acid monolayers on silicon oxide

Tethering by aggregation and growth (T-BAG) of octadecylphosphonic acid (ODPA) on silicon oxide surfaces has been studied in order to expand the understanding of the kinetics of this process, for which the literature has not been able to give a solid answer. ODPA self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) were adsorbed from a THF solution, and characterized by means of in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). These studies show that the heating time used in the T-BAG process can be dramatically shortened, making the T-BAG method even more suitable for practical applications. Furthermore, it was shown that controlling the environment humidity is a key factor in the process, given that in the presence of water, the chemisorption does not take place.