Effect of the state of the support surface on development of the Langmuir-Blodgett films based on poly(vinylidene fluoride)

For the deposition of poly(vinylidene fluoride) films via the Langmuir-Blod gett procedure, two methods of the surface treatment of the KRS-5 support w ere compared. In the first case, the surface was treated with water and, in the second case, with ethanol, In the latter case, the films composed of 3 0 monolayers were characterized by an increased continuity distortions in t he film volume, and this fact was evidenced by spectroscopic measurements a s a decrease in the effective concentration of polymer functional groups an d by the specific morphological features of the films as observed in the po larized light. Analysis of the conformationally-sensitive absorption bands shows that the phase state of the formed crystals is also disturbed. The cr ystals of a ferroelectric beta-phase with a flat-zigzag conformation are ch aracterized by the appearance of an increased number of conformational defe cts as bonds in TGTG(-) and T(3)GT(3)G(-) conformations. It was shown that a certain fraction of crystals crystallizes in a polymorphic gamma-modifica tion. According to the advanced hypothesis, the optical heterogeneity of th e film obtained by the second method is related to the development of micro voids during the expulsion of water clusters absorbed by the formed monolay er.