Electroless deposition of copper onto 4-mercaptobenzoic acid self-assembled on gold

This paper reports the electroless deposition of copper, from a basic solution of copper sulfate, sodium hydrogentartrate, and formaldehyde, onto 4-mercaptobenzoic acid self-assembled on gold. The copper was found to be approximate to180 nm thick after a; approximate to30-min immersion. Deposition did not occur on bare gold or self-assembled layers of 1-octadecanethiol or 3-mercaptobenzoic acid. This latter observation suggests that the carboxylic acid functional group and its position play a role in the deposition process. Infrared absorption spectroscopy was used to evaluate these layers. On surfaces that were microcontact printed with 4-mercaptobenzoic acid, copper deposited only on the stamped areas.