Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films of octadecylaminodihydroxysalicylaldehyde

Octadecylaminodihydroxysalicylaldehyde, an amphiphilic schiff base has been prepared and the behaviour of both the stable Langmuir films at air/water interface as well as the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films have been studied usi ng photoelastic-modulated Fourier transform infrared (PEM-FTIR), ellipsomet ry at Brewster angle and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The result s indicate that to accommodate the cross-sectional mismatch between the tai l and the head group regions, the chains tilt allowing the film to organise in a stable arrangement. It is also seen that the competition between the packing of the head groups and the long alkyl chains has important conseque nces for the microscopic structure of the LB films and the size of the orde red domains. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.