LANGMUIR-BLODGETT-FILMS CONTAINING CAROTENOID DYE .1. PREPARATION ANDCHARACTERIZATION OF ETHYL BETA-APO-8-CAROTENOATE CADIUM STEARATE LB FILMS/

This article describes the preparation and characterization of ethyl b eta-apo-8-carotenoate dye/cadmium stearate mixed Langmuir-Blodgett fil ms. The Wilhelmy plate method, FTIR spectroscopy, and contact angle me asurements were the principal techniques utilized. Incorporation of ca dmium stearate was observed to be critically important to the formatio n of ethyl beta-apo-8-carotenoate/cadmium stearate mixed monolayers in the highly condensed and easily transferable states. Surface pressure (P)-area (A) isotherm measurements on the mixed monolayers with varyi ng compositions, showed that highly condensed monolayers can be formed at the air/water interface from mixtures containing as much as 20 mol % of the carotenoid dye. The mixed monolayers were successfully trans ferred onto the solid substrates as ''Y-type'' film by the vertical li fting method. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.