ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPY OF ORDERED MONOLAYER FILMS FROM DISCOTIC LIQUID-CRYSTALS

Ordered monolayer films from discotic liquid crystalline donor-accepto r twin compounds formed from dilute solution by physical adsorption at the surface of silicon wafers were studied by atomic force microscopy . The roughness of flat areas of the films is in the range of 0.4-0.9 nm and thickness is 1.8 nm. It was shown that the monomolecular films are formed by columns lying parallel to the solid support and the mole cules are arranged in edge-on position. Parameters of columnar orderin g in monolayers correspond to the structure observed in the bulk liqui d crystalline phase by X-ray diffraction.