Self-assembled monolayers

Definition

Schematic diagram of a self-assembled monolayer. (Image from Wikimedia Commons)

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are a self-organizing layer of amphiphilic molecules in which the hydrophillic "head" group is attracted to a substrate and the hydrophobic "tail" end sticks-out into the solution. The self-attracting head group will nucleate and grow into a tightly packed single molecule layer on the substrate.

References

• R. Jones, "Soft Condensed Matter," Oxford University Press Inc., New York (2002).
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-assembled_monolayer