Self-assembled monolayers: a journey from fundamental tools for understanding interfaces to commercial sensing technologies.

Self-assembled monolayers were first described in the 1980s and have now become ubiquitous in many interfacial technologies. In this account, we discuss different self-assembled monolayer systems, outlining their positives and negatives. We then overview other researchers' work and our own group's journey in using self-assembled monolayers to develop new concepts in sensing and addressing general challenges faced by many types of sensors. Finally, we reflect on some of the challenges monolayer chemistry needs to address to facilitate further use of this powerful surface chemistry in commercial devices. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) allow surfaces to be modified with molecular-level control to give surface-specific functionality. SAMs have provided fundamental insight into surface phenomena and found utility in a range of applications. This account outlines a variety of different SAM systems and their application in sensing. (Image credit: Essam M. Dief.) This article belongs to the 10th Anniversary Collection of RACI and AAS Award papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]