Indium tin oxide (ITO) reacts with tetra(tert-butoxy)tin to give surface bound alkoxytin species. Ligand exchange occurs in these surface bound species by reaction with substituted phenols. The speciation of surface phenoxides was measured in ultrahigh vacuum by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, as was the work function for the surface modified ITO. It is shown that the molecular dipole moment of the phenol correlates strongly with the measured ITO work function change; no such correlation exists between the acidity of the phenol and this measured change in work function. Results are consistent therefore with an electrostatic model and not with one involving electronegativities of the ligated phenoxide oxygens.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.