Monolayers of (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTS) were grafted from ethanolic solution on electrochemically reduced brass surfaces. In a second step, hydrolysis of the trimethoxysilane functions (-Si(OMe)(3)) has been carried out to anchor a second organic layer using either MPTS or (3-heptafluoroisopropoxy)propyltrichlorosilane (HIPS) molecules. XPS, PM-IRRAS and contact angle measurements have been employed to characterize each step of the modified surfaces. The corrosion inhibition properties of the modified surfaces were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (NaOH 0.1 M). Compared to the MPTS monolayer, a significant enhancement of the brass corrosion protection was observed for the bilayers. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.