Amorphous carbon thin film surfaces were successfully modified by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrones, generated by the condensation of 4-(trifluoromethyl)benzaldehyde and N-methylhydroxylamine. Amorphous carbon thin films were deposited by electron cyclotron resonance sputtering and consisted of mainly sp(2)-hybridized carbon. The modification of amorphous carbon thin film surfaces with organic molecules was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). F 1s, N 1s, and C 1s electron spectra revealed the existence of organic molecules on the surface of modified amorphous carbon thin films. The surface coverage increased with reaction temperature, reactant concentration, and reaction time. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.