Electrostatic interaction between zirconia and 11-mercaptoundecylphosphoric-acid layer formed on gold surfaces

The electrostatic interactions were investigated between the zirconia and the 11-Mercaptoundecylphos-phoric-acid layer formed on gold surfaces for their complex structures. For the investigation, the atomic force microscope was used to measure the surface forces between the surfaces as a function of the salt concentration and pH value. The forces were analyzed with the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory to estimate the potential and charge density of the surfaces for each condition. The concentration dependence of the surface properties, found from the measurement at pH 4 and 8, was consistent with the prediction from the law of mass action. The pH dependence was explained with the ionizable groups on the surface. It was found that the 11-Mercaptoundecylphosphoric-acid layer had higher values for the surface charge densities and potentials than the zirconia surfaces at pH 4 and 8, which may be attributed to the ionized-functional-groups of the layer.