CEMS/XPS study of iron stearate Langmuir-Blodgett layers

Langmuir-Blodgett mono- and multilayers of ferric stearate have been formed on oxidized silicon wafers. Thermodesorption of these layers was investigated by conversion electron Mossbauer and photoelectron spectroscopy and some complementary methods. Heating of samples in air up to 523 K leads to a desorption of the fatty acid chains, while the ferric ions are left on the substrate surface. These ions do not cluster laterally like it was found for Cd ions. They form a rather homogeneous, closed oxidic layer. This well defined layer may be used afterwards for further studies of surface reactions as well as interface and intra-layer interactions. The surface iron ions were found to exhibit a r…

An X-ray scattering study of lipid monolayers at the air-water interface and on solid supports

Abstract Monolayers of the lipid arachidic acid (C20) and of the phospholid dimyristolyphosphatidic acid (PMDA) have been studied by X-ray reflection and diffraction technique, using a purpose-built Langmuir trough installed at the sample stage of our high-resolution X-ray diffractometer at the DORIS synchroton X-ray source in Hamburg. For comparison we also report data for monolayers of C20 on a solid support using a 10 kW rotating anode X-ray source. By the X-ray reflection method, the density profile across the interface is probe, while in-plane diffraction measurements gauge the two-dimensional crystalline properties of the monolayers. Flourescence microscopy experiments of DMPA monolay…

The Phases of Phosphatidyl Ethanolamine Monolayers

For the first time phospholipid monolayers at the air/water interface have been studied by X-ray diffraction and reflection along the whole isotherm from the isotropic fluid to the ordered phases [1]. The model used to analyze the data — and the accuracy of the parameters deduced — were tested by comparing the results obtained with two lipids having the same head group but different chain lengths.

Comparative optical reflection and mass spectrometry analysis of thermodesorption of Langmuir-Blodgett films

Abstract Thermodesorption of cadmium arachidate multilayers is studied by optical surface analysis and by mass spectrometry measurements. The optical reflection technique has been improved to discriminate signal contributions from desorption and light scattering. The scattering arises from film heterogeneities that are also observed by Nomarsky microscopy. The assessment of these heterogeneities is important to understand mass spectrometry data. Both the optical technique and mass spectrometry are sensitive to observing the multilayer phase transition at 110 °C and the desorption near 200 °C (at the heating rate applied). The mass spectrometry analysis yields detailed information on the des…

Thickness and temperature dependent structure of Cd arachidate Langmuir-Blodgett films

Abstract The structure of monolayers of Cd arachidate on water and on solid support, and the thickness dependent changes when building up a multilayer via the LB technique are studied by means of grazing incidence diffraction of X-ray. In monolayers the perpendicularly oriented amphiphilic molecules are arranged in a hexagonal lattice, whereas for thicker layers (even for three layers) they crystallize in an orthorhombic unit cell with a reduced molecular are ( A = 18.2 A 2 ) compared to that of the monolayer ( A = 19.7 A 2 ). In-plane diffraction measurements with wave vector transfer perpendicular to the surface (rod scans) could prove for multilayers a maximum tilt angle of 2°. The data …

X-ray scattering studies of fatty acid films on water and on Cdcl2 solutions

X-ray diffraction methods for Langmuir films on the surface of water are briefly presented, together with recent results for docosanoic acid monolayers on pure water and for eicosanoic acid monolayers on an ionic subphase.

Thermostability of polymeric langmuir-blodgett films

X-Ray Scattering Studies of Organic Monolayers on Electrolytic Solutions: Arachidic Acid on CdCl2

The interaction between a charged monolayer of fatty acid molecules on the surface of a CdCl2 aqueous solution and the ions below has been investigated by means of X-ray Reflection and Grazing-Incidence Diffraction. A stoichiometric, localised layer of Cd++ ions forms an epitaxial 2×3 superstructure below the 2D-crystalline fatty acid monolayer.

Ultrathin metal films and inorganic clusters via thermodesorption of LB films

Langmuir-Blodgett multilayers of cadmium arachidate and ferric stearate were investigated during heating in order to derive information on processes involved in thermodesorption and on the inorganic microstructures left on the substrate after thermodesorption. We studied these processes by X-ray induced photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), interference enhanced reflection (IeR), Nomarsky microscopy, electron microprobe analysis and in the case of Fe57-ions by conversion electron Mossbauer spectroscopy (CEMS). Two different mechanisms of desorption were observed. In the case of cadmium arachidate multilayers it is shown that before desorption the film ruptures laterally and then forms droplets.…

Cluster formation during desorption of multilayers of fatty acid salts