Structure of a Langmuir film on a liquid metal surface

COLL 356

Henning Kraack1, E Sloutskin1, M Deutsch1, Benjamin M. Ocko2, and Peter Pershan3. (1) Physics Department, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel, (2) Physics Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973, (3) Physics Dept, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
The structure of organic monolayers on liquid surfaces depends sensitively on the details of the molecular interactions. The structure of a stearic acid film on a mercury surface was studied as a function of coverage by pressure/area isotherms and Ångström-resolution x-ray grazing angle diffraction and reflectivity measurements[1]. Unlike monolayers on water, the molecules are found here to undergo a transition from surface-parallel to surface-normal orientation with increasing coverage. At high coverage, two condensed hexatic phases of standing-up molecules were found. At low coverage, a 2D gas phase and condensed single- and double-layered phases of flat-lying molecular dimers were discovered, exhibiting a 1D longitudinal positional order. The variation of the structure with chain length, and results for n-alkanes and n-alcohols will be also presented.

[1] H. Kraack et al., Science 298, 141 (2002)

 

Adamson Award Symposium Honoring Dave Allara and Ralph Nuzzo

Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry
The 225th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, March 23-27, 2003