Spectroscopy, polymerization kinetics and topography of linoleic acid Langmuir and Langmuir–Blodgett films

Abstract

The photopolymerization of linoleic acid monolayers on a TbCl ₃ subphase at various pH values has been studied by UV–VIS spectroscopy and measurements of the kinetic changes of the mean molecular area. Dramatic differencies in the topography of the linoleic acid Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) film structures at various pH values were observed by atomic force microscopy. UV–VIS spectroscopic measurements indicated the formation of a charge-transfer complex between adjacent acid molecules. The experimental results for the best reaction conditions were fitted by a first-order kinetic model which accounts for the two-dimensionality of the system.