@article {Fioravanti2014,
	title = {Electrochemical fabrication of surface chemical gradients in thiol self-assembled monolayers with tailored work-functions},
	journal = {Langmuir},
	volume = {30},
	year = {2014},
	pages = {11591–11598},
	publisher = {American Chemical Society,},
	address = {Washington, DC},
	abstract = {The studies on surface chemical gradients are constantly gaining interest both for fundamental studies and for technological implications in materials science, nanofluidics, dewetting, and biological systems. Here we report on a new approach that is very simple and very efficient, to fabricate surface chemical gradients of alkanethiols, which combines electrochemical desorption/partial readsorption, with the withdrawal of the surface from the solution. The gradient is then stabilized by adding a complementary thiol terminated with a hydroxyl group with a chain length comparable to desorbed thiols. This procedure allows us to fabricate a chemical gradient of the wetting properties and the substrate work-function along a few centimeters with a gradient slope higher than 5Â°/cm. Samples were characterized by cyclic voltammetry during desorption, static contact angle, XPS analysis, and Kelvin probe. Computer simulations based on the Dissipative Particle Dynamics methods were carried out considering a water droplet on a mixed SAM surface. The results help to rationalize the composition of the chemical gradient at different position on the Au surface.},
	issn = {0743-7463},
	doi = {10.1021/la5013928},
	url = {http://www.scopus.com/record/display.url?eid=2-s2.0-84907943687&origin=inward},
	author = {Fioravanti, Giulia and Lugli, Francesca and Gentili, Denis and Mucciante, Vittoria and Leonardi, Francesca and Pasquali, Luca and Liscio, Andrea and Murgia, Mauro and Zerbetto, Francesco and Cavallini, Massimiliano}
}
