Nanoscale motors and molecular switches

The Chemistry of... Nanoscale Motors and Molecular Switches (Chapter 4). This LB monolayer (c) was formed at a water-air interface where the polar phosphate head groups of the phospholipid buried themselves in water and the hydrophobic carbon tails projected out into the air. Interspersed among them were the catenane molecules. In later steps, this monolayer was lifted from the water-air surface and transferred onto a solid gold surface. 

Monolayers called Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films also involve self-assembly of molecules on a surface. In this case, however, the molecules do not become covalently attached to the surface. These LB films are inherently less stable than covalently bonded monolayers, but they have characteristics that are useful for certain applications in nanotechnology. For example, an LB film made from phospholipid (Section 23.6) and catenane molecules was used in making the array of molecular switches we discussed in "The Chemistry of.. . Nanoscale Motors and Molecular Switches" (Chapter 4). This LB monolayer(c) was formed at a water-air interface where the polar phosphate head groups of the phospholipid buried themselves in water and the hydrophobic carbon tails projected out into the air. Interspersed among them were the catenane molecules. In later steps, this monolayer was lifted from the water-air surface and transferred onto a solid gold surface. 

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