Langmuir-Blodgett applications

A renewed interest in the structure and properties of amphiphilic molecules which reside at the air-water interface has occurred in the last decade due to the fact that the monolayers comprise an idealized two dimensional system which can be probed in terms of structure, composition and phase transitions, and due to the fact that the monolayers are used to form highly ordered coatings in Langmuir-Blodgett applications. Monolayers form at an air-water interface upon dissolution of amphiphiles in a water immiscible solvent, spreading of Ae solution on a water surface, and lastly, solvent removal. Such monolayers are insoluble in the aqueous phase. Alternately, monolayers which are soluble in the aqueous phase are formed by adsorption of amphiphiles from the bulk aqueous solution to the air-water interface. A primary difference between insoluble and soluble monolayers... 

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) can resolve features down to about 1 nm and allows the use of electron diffraction to characterize the structure. Since electrons must pass through the sample however, the technique is limited to thin films. One cryoelectron microscopic study of fatty-acid Langmuir films on vitrified water [13] showed faceted crystals. The application of TEM to Langmuir-Blodgett films is discussed in Chapter XV. 

Films spread at liquid-liquid interfaces or on liquids other than water are discussed followed by the important effects of charged monolayers on water. Finally, the most technologically important application of Langmuir films, the Langmuir-Blodgett film deposited on a solid substrate, is reviewed. 

Peterson I R 1987 Langmuir-Blodgett films structure and application J. Mol. Electron. 3 103-11... 

A large number of potential applications for organized protein monolayers have recently motivated considerable research activity in this field (Boussaad et al. 1998, Kiselyova et al. 1999). Construction of specific interaction-directed, self-assembled protein films has been performed at the air-water interface. The Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique has been extensively used to order and immobilize natural proteins on solid surfaces (Tronin et... 

A Ulman. An Introduction to Ultrathin Organic Films From Langmuir-Blodgett to Self-Assembly. Boston, Academic Press, 1991 JH Fendler. Nanoparticles and Nanostructured Films Preparation, Characterization and Application. Weinheim, Germany Wiley VCH, 1998. 

The very popular applications of the adsorption potential measurements are those dealing with the surface potential changes at the water-air and water-hydrocarbon interfaces when a monolayer film is formed by an adsorbed substance. Phospholipid mono-layers, for instance, formed at such interfaces have been extensively used to study the surface properties of the monolayers, which are expected to represent, to some extent, the surface properties of bilayers, and biological, as well as various artificial membranes. An interest in a number of applications of the ordered thin organic films, e.g., Langmuir-Blodgett layers, dominated the insoluble monolayer research activity during the last decade. 

Formation of multicomponent protein films by Layer-By-Layer (LBL) or Langmuir-Blodgett adsorption have been developed for a broad range of applications... 

A. Battaud, H. Perrot, V. Billard, C. Martelet, and J. Therasse, Study of immunoglobulin G thin layers obtained by die Langmuir-Blodgett method application to immunosensors. Biosens. Bioelectron. 8, 39—48 (1993). 

Application of vibrational spectroscopy to the study of structure-function relationship in Langmuir-Blodgett films... 

The highly oriented molecules in thin organic films such as Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films and self-assembled monolayers (SAM) [1] are essential for some molecular functions. Non linear optical and opto-electronic properties are two of the most important and interesting functions of these molecular assemblies. In the past more than thirteen years, simulation of the primary process of photosynthesis using such molecular assemblies and its application to molecular photodiodes [2,3] have been one of the main subjects of our laboratory. 

In this chaper, the two principal methods for their synthesis and some of the main applications of functional fluoropolymers will be reviewed. However, as there are many patents and papers as well as several reviews on these subjects, the review will be brief and the primary focus will be on selected applications and specific properties of functional fluoropolymers that can be achieved in highly ordered Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of these polymers. 

Fluorinated Polymers with Functional Groups Synthesis and Applications. Langmuir-Blodgett Films from Functional Fluoropolymers... 

The focus in this chapter is on the scientific issues and challenges in the application of vapor deposited top metal contacts to devices fabricated from self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and related films such as Langmuir Blodgett (LB) monolayers. Specifically the chapter will review the types of possible interactions... 

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