A Molecular 'Salve' to Soothe Surface Stresses

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NIST researchers measured the surface stress of a monolayer film on gold by measuring the changing curvature of a gold-coated glass cantilever as molecules of mercaptobenzoic acid were deposited on the gold. The change in curvature was detected by th ...
NIST researchers measured the surface stress of a monolayer film on gold by measuring the changing curvature of a gold-coated glass cantilever as molecules of mercaptobenzoic acid were deposited on the gold. The change in curvature was detected by the shifting reflection of a laser beam impinging onto the back side of the glass. Credit: NIST

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have shown for the first time that a single layer of molecular “salve” can significantly soothe the stresses affecting clean metal surfaces. The discovery, revealed in a new paper, may help scientists to understand the factors that influence surface stress, which is important in a broad array of applications from chemical and biological sensors to semiconductor manufacturing and metal plating.


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