What is the direction of charge transfer between Aluminum and aliphatic amines physisorbed on top? Is there dipole formation upon physisorption of an aliphatic amine to an aluminum substrate? What is the charge transfer direction? What if the aluminum substrate is clean, surface oxidized or covered with -OH groups?
What if aluminum is replaced by other types of metals, such as Au and Ag?
Amines could bond to the aluminum surface via a Lewis acid-base reaction between the electron rich amine nitrogen and the electron poor Al atom on the surface (perhaps formed by loss of a surface hydroxyl group as hydroxide ion). The direction of charge transfer would be from the amine nitrogen to an aluminum atom. The resulting "Lewis salt" would have a partial positive charge on nitrogen and a partial negative charge on aluminum (like an aluminate ion or an amine-aluminum chloride adduct).