A TROUGH WITH RADIAL COMPRESSION FOR STUDIES OF MONOLAYERS AND FABRICATION OF LANGMUIR-BLODGETT-FILMS

A new type of Langmuir trough with radial compression is reported for studies of monolayer properties and fabrication of Langmuir-Blodgett ( LB) films. The trough included twenty curved diaphragms, which form a circular shape on water and compress monolayers. Typical monolayers of arachidic acid, DL-alpha-phosphatidylcholine dipalmitoyl, cellulose t ridecanoate, and poly(butyl methacrylate) showed reproducible surface pressure-area isotherms with radial compression. Flow profiles were st udied of monolayers on cellulose tridecanoate and poly( butyl methacry late) and suggested that the monolayers are radially compressed with n o particular film disturbance. A Wilhelmy glass plate preserved no def lection in the subphase surface from low to high surface pressures dur ing the film compression and decompression; no pressure excess causing the deflection, which is frequently observed in the case of the film compression with a sliding barrier, was found on both sides of the Wil helmy plate. Application of the radial compression enabled us to do a symmetrical deposition for the fabrication of LB films.