STRUCTURAL INFORMATION ON THIOPHENE LANGMUIR-BLODGETT HETEROSTRUCTURES

Two molecules, 3-thienylpentadecanoic acid (3TC15) and distearylviolog ene (DSV), were investigated as potential candidates for building up m ixed films prepared by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. The mixture of 3TC15 and DSV builds up stable monolayers at the liquid-gas interface and can be transferred as monolayer and multilayer onto a variety of solid supports. In the films the electron-donating thiophene moiety is separated from the electron-accepting viologene. To reveal the molecu lar alignment within the films, polarization-dependent Fourier transfo rm IR (FTIR) spectroscopy and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) experime nts were applied. The FTIR results demonstrate upright alignment of bo th molecules in the mixed films. The calculated monolayer thickness is confirmed by the SPR results and a model for the film structure is es tablished.