DIPPING INDUCED ORIENTATION IN LANGMUIR-BLODGETT MULTILAYERS OF A FLEXIBLE PPV PRECURSOR POLYMER

The Langmuir monolayers of a chloroform soluble dimethoxy substituted precursor poly(p-phenylenevinylene) (PPV) with a methoxy leaving group were studied. During storage in chloroform the precursor polymer is p artly converted to PPV. Multilayer films could only be prepared of thi s partly converted precursor. When a monolayer of this polymer contain ing 5% PPV units was deposited an orientation of the polymer chain alo ng the dipping direction was found. Whereas a monolayer containing 14% PPV units showed no orientation in the dipping direction. It is assum ed that a monolayer of the precursor containing 5% PPV units can be co nsidered as a 2D flexible network and the obtained orientation in the dipping direction is due to stretching of this network during depositi on. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.