REACTION BETWEEN O(P-3) AND ORGANIZED ORGANIC THIN-FILMS

The reaction of an atomic beam of O(P-3) with organized organic thin f ilms (OOTFs) of amphiphilic molecules was investigated applying in-sit u IR, XPS, and wettability measurements. Both kinetics and surface tem perature effects were monitored. The reaction probability was much lar ger for the OOTF relative to the gas phase process. The reaction rate was found to depend on the organization of the thin films. Structural phase transition was observed by monitoring the changes in reactivity. A curve-crossing model explains the observations and rationalizes the lack of activation energy and the dependence of the reactivity on the penetrability in between the chains.