Langmuir Trough Method

The isolation of the microbubble surfactant mixture from forest soil has been described in detail in preceding chapters. Quantitative examination of the surface properties of mono-molecular films of the isolated microbubble surfactant complex, at an air/water interface, were carried out using a modified Langmuir trough apparatus incorporating the surface tension method of Padday et al. (ref. 380). 

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Dynamics of proteins at aiMvater and oii-water interfaces using novei Langmuir trough methods... 

One encounters the following difficulties in the interpretation of the data from the experiments with interfacial dilatation. As discussed in Ref. 58, the shear viscosity, T jh, does not influence the total stress, 67, only for interfacial flow of perfect spherical symmetry. If the latter requirement is not fulfilled by a given experimental technique, its output data will be influenced by a mixture of dissipative effects (not only -r d but also -qsh and tr). The apparent interfacial viscosity thus determined is not a real interfacial property insofar as it depends on the specific method of measurement. For example, the apparent interfacial viscosity measured by the capillary-wave methods [189-196] depends on the frequency the apparent interfacial viscosity measured by the Langmuir trough method [197,198] is a sum of the dilatational and shear viscosities ("q + -q h) for the methods employing nonspherical droplet deformation, like the spinning-drop method [199-201], the apparent surface viscosity is a complex function of the dilatational and shear interfacial viscosities. 

The majority of commercial LB troughs use the Wilhehny plate method for measurement of surface pressure (II), although some use the alternate Langmuir float method. The plate material most commonly used is cut pieces of filter paper, of negligible cost and completely wetted by water. The other type of plate used is a piece of high-purity platinum metal, which can be cleaned in a flame and gives a reproducible contact angle with water of 60°. 

The LB film depositions were performed using a Joyce-Loebl Langmuir Trough IV equipped with a microbalance for measurement of the surface pressure by the Wilhelmy plate method. Filtered deionized water with a pH of 7 was used for the subphase. For the electron beam lithography study, PMMA was spread on the water surface from a dilute benzene solution ( 10 mg PMMA in 20 ml benzene). The novolac/PAC mixtures were spread from solutions ( 20 mg solids in 10 ml solvent) of isopropyl acetate. For the fluorescence studies, the PMMA/PDA mixture was spread on fee water surface from a dilute benzene solution (1.75 mg PDA and 8.33 mg PMMA in 20 ml benzene). Prior to compression, a 20 min interval was allowed for solvent evaporation. The Langmuir film was compressed to the desired transfer pressure at a rate of 50 cm2/min, followed by a 20 minute equilibration period. The Cr-coated silicon wafers and quartz wafers were immersed into fee subphase before... 

The remaining problem of the molecular mechanisms of this action was judged to be related to the conformation of the dicarboxylic acid at the interface. This conformation is usually determined directly with the use of a Langmuir trough (16-18). The disadvantage of such a method for the present problem lies with the restrictions of the environment of the molecule to be Investigated. The basic requirement is that the molecule must be virtually insoluble in the liquid substrate on which the monolayer is supported. For the dicarboxylic acid in question, this meant a pH value as low as 2 and also a high electrolyte content in the aqueous substrate. 

Since the total number of molecules of surfactant added to the Langmuir trough is known (from the molecular weight) the area per molecule is also known and can be varied simply by moving the boom. The relation between the film pressure and the area per molecule can, therefore, be measured. This is in fact a very elegant method for the study of molecular films. The precise isotherm is characteristic of the surfactant but the general features often observed are shown in Figure 8.15. 

These properties are listed in order of usefulness for comparative review purposes. Liquid surface tension is the most fundamental property, because it pertains only to the material in question (provided the material is adequately pure) and the technique used for measurement. All the other properties listed are dependent also on solvents, contact-angle test liquids, and liquid or solid substrates selected. For solids, approaches such as the Owens-Wendt analysis (7) have supplanted the Zisman method (18) in recent years, but data from the Zisman method for organosilicon polymers are more available compared with data from the Owens-Wendt approach. Some useful data on aqueous surface tensions and Langmuir troughs are also available. Data for other listed properties are of less fundamental use and rather scanty. 

Figure 3 Methods for supported bilayer formation and membrane protein reconstitution, (a) and (b) LB/LS method. A lipid monolayer is spread at the air-water interface of a Langmuir trough and transferred to a solid substrate while keeping the surface pressure constant. A second monolayer is transferred by horizontal apposition of the first transferred monolayer and collection of a counter-piece with spacers, (c) Direct VF method. Membrane vesicles are flown into a chamber with a clean surface substrate on top. After about an hour of incubation, they form a supported bilayer on the substrate and excess vesicles are flushed out. (d) LB/VF method. The procedures depicted in panels (a) and (c) are combined leading to an asymmetric bilayer with an asymmetric protein distribution. Although this method can also be performed without a polymer, it is shown here with the polymer transferred during the LB step.

The infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy was performed on a Bruker IFS 66 spectrometer (Karlsruhe, Germany) equipped with a MCT detector and a modified external reflection attachment P/N 19650 of SPECAC (Orpington, UK). This included a miniaturized Langmuir-trough, permitting thermostatic measurements. An extensive description of the method can be found in Gericke et al. (1993). The IRRAS set-up as well as the experimental approach can be inferred from the schematic sketch shown in Fig. 2. 

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