Elsevier

Thin Solid Films

Volume 117, Issue 4, 27 July 1984, Pages 269-280
Thin Solid Films

Microscopically observed preparation of Langmuir-Blodgett films

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Abstract

It is shown that by combining newly developed preparation and characterization techniques Langmuir-Blodgett films with well-defined crystallinity can be prepared. This is achieved by growing two-dimensional crystals on the water surface under fluorescence microscopy control, transferring these crystals onto a solid surface by modified Langmuir-Blodgett techniques and further characterizing the film by ellipsometry, electron microscopy and electron diffraction.

Coexisting fluid and solid phases can be observed and controlled over a wide density range. The dimensions of the single crystals of, for example, the phospholipid L-α-dimyristoyl phosphatidic acid (DMPA) amount to 100 μm and hexagonal superlattices of crystallites can be established.

Two different phases can be transferred onto a solid support, the difference in thickness being below 0.4 nm.

A transition to a less condensed phase at near-zero pressure appears at a molecular density of 1 molecule nm−2 for DMPA and of 1 molecule (0.24nm2)−1 for arachidic acid. Ellipsometry and fluorescence microscopy consistently show that the change in molecular density amounts to less than a factor of 5. This raises doubt as to whether is corresponds to a classical gas-liquid transition.

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