Structural and electric properties of two semifluorinated alkane monolayers compressed on top of a controlled hydrophobic monolayer substrate

Evidence for interaction with the water subphase as the origin and stabilization of nano-domain in semi-fluorinated alkanes monolayer at the air/water interface

Multilayer films of semifluorinated alkanes (SFAs) at the air/water interface were studied in situ by grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS). The results provide evidence that the first layer in contact with the water subphase, buried below the overlayers, exhibits the same supramolecular hexagonal structure that is observed in the monolayer before the collapse, at non-zero surface pressure. We believe this result clearly demonstrates the major role of the interactions between the first layer of SFAs and the water subphase to the formation of the structure.

Long-range nanometer-scale organization of semifluorinated alkane monolayers at the air/water interface

We have determined the structure formed at the air-water interface by semifluorinated alkanes (C(8)F(17)C(m)H(2m+1) diblocks, F8Hm for short) for different lengths of the molecule (m = 14, 16, 18, 20) by using surface pressure versus area per molecule isotherms, Brewster angle microscopy (BAM), and grazing incidence x-ray experiments (GISAXS and GIXD). The behavior of the monolayers of diblocks under compression is mainly characterized by a phase transition from a low-density phase to a condensed phase. The nonzero surface pressure phase is crystalline and exhibits two hexagonal lattices at two different scales: a long-range-order lattice of a few tens of nanometers lateral parameter and a molecular array of about 0.6 nm parameter. The extent of this organization is sufficiently large to impact larger scale behavior. Analysis of the various compressibilities evidences the presence of non organized molecules in the monolayer for all 2D pressures. At room temperature, the self-assembled structure appears generic for all the F8Hm investigated.

Experimental validation of the Helmoltz equation for the surface potential of Langmuir monolayers

We show in this paper that monolayers of the nonhydrophilic F8H18 semifluorinated n -alkane constitute when spread on the hydrophobic top of an alamethicin Langmuir monolayer, a very good experimental system in order to check the validity of Helmoltz equation. This system allows for a good agreement between measured and calculated surface potentials of unionized Langmuir monolayers. We show also that the relative dielectric constant of the F8H18 monolayer does not vary upon compression of the monolayer, the measured 2.9 value is in a very good agreement with literature data. We attribute this behavior to the self-aggregation of F8H18 molecules in nanosized circular domains whose size remains constant upon compression as shown by atomic force microscopy.