Hydrocarbon chain conformation in an intercalated surfactant monolayer and bilayer

Cetyl trimethyl ammonium (CTA) ions have been confined within galleries of layered CdPS₃ at two different grafting densities. Low grafting densities are obtained on direct intercalation of CTA ions into CdPS₃ to give Cd_0.93PS₃(CTA)_0.14. Intercalation occurs with a lattice expansion of 4.8 ? with the interlamellar surfactant ion lying flat forming a monolayer. Intercalation at higher grafting densities was effected by a two-step ion-exchange process to give Cd_0.83PS₃(CTA)_0.34, with a lattice expansion of 26.5 ?. At higher grafting densities the interlamellar surfactant ions adopt a tilted bilayer structure.¹³C NMR and orientation-dependent IR vibrational spectroscopy on single crystals have been used to probe the conformation and orientation of the methylene ‘tail’ of the intercalated surfactant in the two phases. In the monolayer phase, the confined methylene chain adopts an essentially all-trans conformation with most of the trans chain aligned parallel to the gallery walls. On lowering the temperature, molecular plane aligns parallel, so that the methylene chain lies flat, rigid and aligned to the confining surface. In the bilayer phase, most bonds in the methylene chain are in trans conformation. It is possible to identify specific conformational sequences containing a gauche bond, in the interior and termini of the intercalated methylene. These high energy conformers disappear on cooling leaving all fifteen methylene units of the intercalated cetyl trimethyl ammonium ion in trans conformational registry at 40 K.