Monolayers, thin mica sheets

In the past, mica has been the material of choice for the interacting surfaces because of the ease of handling and since molecularly smooth surfaces can be fabricated mica surface coated with a thin film of other materials (e.g., lipid monolayers or bilayers, metal films, polymer films, or other macromolecules such as proteins) can also be used. The use of alternative materials such as molecularly smooth sapphire and silica sheets and carbon and metal oxide surfaces is also being explored. 

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