Alignment of liquid crystal and dichroic dye molecules in mixed Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films

A study of dichroic dye-liquid crystal mixtures (guest-host systems) in monolayers formed at a gas-liquid interface (Langmuir films) and at a solid surface (Langmuir-Blodgett films) has been made. As a host 4- n -octyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) or 4- n -pentyl-4"-cyano- p -terphenyl (5CT) were chosen, while three dichroic azo dyes with various molecular structures were used as guest species. The dyes were added to the liquid crystal matrices at a concentration corresponding to the whole range of molar fractions and the surface pressure-mean molecular area isotherms for Langmuir films were recorded. On the basis of the isotherms, conclusions about the molecular organization and the miscibility of the components in the ultrathin films were drawn. The Langmuir films were transferred onto the quartz plates at surface pressures below the collapse point. The polarized absorption spectra of the Langmuir-Blodgett films were recorded and information about the alignment and intermolecular interactions in the mixtures of the non-amphiphilic dichroic dyes and the liquid crystals with strongly polar terminal groups were obtained.     

Alignment of liquid crystal and dichroic dye molecules in mixed Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films

A study of dichroic dye-liquid crystal mixtures (guest-host systems) in monolayers formed at a gas-liquid interface (Langmuir films) and at a solid surface (Langmuir-Blodgett films) has been made. As a host 4- n -octyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) or 4- n -pentyl-4″-cyano- p -terphenyl (5CT) were chosen, while three dichroic azo dyes with various molecular structures were used as guest species. The dyes were added to the liquid crystal matrices at a concentration corresponding to the whole range of molar fractions and the surface pressure-mean molecular area isotherms for Langmuir films were recorded. On the basis of the isotherms, conclusions about the molecular organization and the miscibility of the components in the ultrathin films were drawn. The Langmuir films were transferred onto the quartz plates at surface pressures below the collapse point. The polarized absorption spectra of the Langmuir-Blodgett films were recorded and information about the alignment and intermolecular interactions in the mixtures of the non-amphiphilic dichroic dyes and the liquid crystals with strongly polar terminal groups were obtained.     

Self-organization of a sulfonamido-porphyrin in Langmuir monolayers and Langmuir-Blodgett films

Langmuir monolayers (LM) and Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of pure lipophilic meso-tetra(4-dodecylaminosulfophenyl)porphyrin (PC12) and mixed with the anionic surfactant sodium hexadecylsulfate (SHS) were studied. The molecular packing and structure of PC12 and PC12-4SHS with variable surface pressure were investigated by surface pressure-area measurements, steady-state absorption, fluorescence emission and anisotropy, as well as by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). At low surface pressure, the porphyrin molecules are organized with the rings tilted on the water surface whereas at high surface pressure the porphyrin rings achieve a more perpendicular arrangement. Using the FLIM images a gradual change of aggregates into large "islands" is observed. Different patterns are observed in the pure PC12 multilayer films (n = 3 and 5) with ordered patches superimposed which are not observed in the PC12-4SHS multilayer LB films.     

J-aggregation and its characterization in Langmuir-Blodgett films of merocyanine dyes

Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films are constructed by successively transferring monomolecular layers formed at the air-water interface onto solid substrates. One of the advantages of the LB technique in fabricating molecular aggregates lies in the fact that it can employ various kinds of molecules by mixing them at the air-water interface. The mixed system may exhibit new properties that are not observed for individual components. This method would be useful, for example, in the studies of the formation and control of the J-aggregates of functional dyes that attract attention both in science and technology. In this paper, I review this subject mainly based on our recent results in merocyanines. LB films of merocyanine dyes, mixed with arachidic acid (C(20)), exhibit J-aggregate formation and have been serving as typical systems in revealing the physical and structural aspects of nanosized molecular aggregates constructed as monolayers. In the case of LB films of a merocyanine dye having benzothiazole as donor nucleus (abbreviated as DS), electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy has been successful in determining the characteristic in-plane orientation of dye molecules with respect to the dipping direction, which led to the discovery of the flow orientation effect during the dipping process of LB films as the origin of optical dichroism often observed in LB films. In this article, after an introduction of ESR spectroscopy, three major topics on the merocyanine J-aggregation and its characterization in mixed films are discussed. The first topic is the observation and control of the size of J-aggregates in the dilution limit of dyes in arachidic acid matrix for a methyl-substituted DS (6-Me-DS). Dependence of atomic force microscopy (AFM) patterns on the molar ratio allows the identification of dye domains. J-band optical peak analysis based on the Kuhn's extended dipole model, supplemented by a novel application of femtosecond pump-probe optical spectroscopy, yields the size of the J-aggregates of 10(3). The second topic is the control of the J-band peak wavelengths by mixing two different kinds of dye molecules. The first case is the mixture of a J-forming 6-Me-DS and non-J-forming merocyanine analog, DO with benzo-oxazole instead of benzothiazole of DS. The second case is the mixture of both J-forming dyes but with different J-band peak positions, 6-Me-DS and another analog of 5-Cl-DS. The optical peak shifts depending on the molar mixing ratio will be presented. The last topic is related to the elucidation of electronic states of dye molecules in the J-aggregates. Light-induced ESR (LESR) of DS films with stable isotope ((15)N or (13)C)-substituted dyes provide clear evidence for the photoinduced charge transfer by the detection of hyperfine structures. Moreover, infrared (IR) spectroscopy of (13)C-enriched dye identifies the IR absorption peak of the relevant carbon in the chromophore. The results give evidence for the enhanced intramolecular charge transfer of dyes in the J-aggregates compared with an isolated merocyanine composed of donor and acceptor moiety. Lastly, the Cl attachment in 5-Cl-DS leads to a significant enhancement of the nitrogen hyperfine coupling in the LESR spectra. These examples and others demonstrate the potential of LB films of merocyanines in the studies of the nanosized molecular aggregates in monolayer assemblies.     

Immobilization of a fluorescent dye in Langmuir-Blodgett films

We immobilized a hemicyanine dye, Di-8-ANEPPS, in ordered thin films of an organic matrix, dihexadecyl phosphate (DHP), and we transferred the mixed monolayers onto solid support by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. We used gold and quartz slides and indium tin oxide (ITO) evaporated on glass slides as substrates. The multilayers formation was confirmed by ellipsometric and contact angle measurements. The optical response of the nanostructures was investigated collecting UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence emission intensity profiles.     

Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films of a novel tryptophan peptide lipid

A novel tryptophan peptide lipid, C18H35O (SA)-Gly-Trp-Gly-OH, was synthesized and studied for its surface chemistry and spectroscopic properties.     

Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films of amphiphilic bistable rotaxanes

A series of amphiphilic bistable [2]rotaxanes--in which a ring-shaped component, the tetracationic cyclophane, cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene), has been assembled around two recognition sites, a tetrathia-fulvalene (TTF) unit and a 1,5-dioxynaphthalene (DNP) ring system, situated apart at different strategic locations within the central polyether section of an amphiphilic dumbbell component that is terminated by a hydrophobic tetraarylmethane-based stopper (near the TTF unit) at one end and by a hydrophilic tetraarylmethane-based stopper (near the DNP ring system) at the other end--has been designed and synthesized. The effects of systematic changes in the constitutions of the three ethylene glycol tails (diethylene or tetraethylene glycol) and end groups (hydroxyl or methoxyl functions) attached to the hydrophilic stoppers on Langmuir film balance and surface rheology experiments at 20 degreesC were examined to determine the monolayer stabilities and co-conformations of the [2] rotaxanes and their free dumbbell counterparts. These experiments allow us to propose a model for the rotaxane's structures at different surface pressures. All the [2]rotaxanes form stable Langmuir films. These films typically pass from a liquid-expanded region to a liquid-condensed region. The transition between the two regions was either directly observed or ascertained using film stability experiments. Film balance and surface rheology experiments showed that the addition of the tetracationic cyclophane component and hydroxyl end groups markedly increased the stabilities and viscoelasticity of the films.     

Supramolecular architecture in Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films incorporating a chiral azobenzene

This article describes the synthesis and fabrication of Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films incorporating a chiral azobenzene derivative, namely, ( S)-4- sec-butyloxy-4'-[5'-(methyloxycarbonyl)pentyl-1'-oxy]azobenzene, abbreviated as AZO-C4(S). Appropriate conditions for the fabrication of monolayers of AZO-C4(S) at the air-water interface have been established, and the resulting Langmuir films have been characterized by a combination of surface pressure and surface potential versus area per molecule isotherms, Brewster angle microscopy, and UV-vis reflection spectroscopy. The results indicate the formation of an ordered trilayer at the air-water interface with UV-vis reflection spectroscopy showing a new supramolecular architecture for multilayered films as well as the formation of J aggregates. Films were transferred onto solid substrates, with AFM revealing well-ordered multilayered films without 3D defects. Infrared and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy indicate that the supramolecular architecture may be favored by the formation of H bonds between acid groups in neighboring layers and pi-pi intermolecular interactions. Circular dichroism spectra reveal chiro-optical activity in multilayered LB films.     

Photoreactions and lateral patterning in Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films

Reversible morphological changes occur with photoisomerization of azobenzene in Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films complexed with polycations, which contradicts an implicit assumption of the concept of free volume that two-dimensional film structures are preserved during the photoisomerization. J-aggregates of chromophores are formed by two processes. The first process is "light-induced J-aggregation" in which photoisomerized molecules form J-aggregates. The other process is "triggered J-aggregation," in which photoisomerization of one of the components triggers J-aggregation of another chemical species in the mixed films. Both processes of J-aggregation are in many cases accompanied by large morphological changes of the films. However, LB films fabricated using processes under isobaric conditions do not change their morphology during light-induced J-aggregation and are patterned with J-aggregates using ultraviolet illumination through a photomask. Phase separation in mixed LB films gives rise to two-dimensional patterns, which are used to fabricate templates by using an amphiphilic silane-coupling agent as one of the components in the mixed LB films. Nanopatterns are also fabricated.     

Thermal behavior of J-aggregates in mixed Langmuir-Blodgett films composed of merocyanine dye and deuterated arachidic acid investigated by UV-visible and infrared absorption spectroscopy

We have investigated the thermal behavior of J-aggregates in the mixed Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films composed of the merocyanine dye (MS18)-deuterated arachidic acid (C20-d) binary system in the temperature range from 25 to 250 degrees C by means of UV-visible and IR transmission absorption spectroscopy. The temperature-dependent variations in both UV-visible and IR absorption spectra indicate that the MS18 aggregation states are linked with the MS18 intramolecular charge transfer and the behavior of the packing, orientation, conformation, and thermal mobility of the MS18 hydrocarbon chain. The J-aggregate formed at 25 degrees C in the mixed LB films dissociates in the temperature range from 25 to 110 degrees C, which is mainly ascribed to the increase in the thermal mobility of MS18 hydrocarbon chain and the dissociation of the chelation by a cadmium ion to the MS18 keto group. A thermally induced blue-shifted band appears at around 515 nm from 110 to 160 degrees C. This band is attributed to oligomeric aggregation with side-by-side alignment of the MS18 transition dipole moments on the basis of the shift to a higher-energy side, broadening, and temporary increment of the MS18 intramolecular charge transfer of the band. Consequently, the appearance of the thermally induced blue-shifted band indicates the possibility that the MS18 aggregation states can be controlled from the red shift to the blue shift by the annealing method adopted in the present study.     

Negative photoconductivity of ferrocenyl-containing oligomer films with a merocyanine dye

The effect of negative photoconductivity of ferrocenyl-containing oligomer films doped with a merocyanine dye based on ferrocene and tetranitrofluorene has been found. The decrease in the conductivity current and its recovery after switching off light are in agreement with the decrease and the recovery of the dielectric loss tangent in the films studied. The phenomenological model is suggested in which the buildup of space charge from nonequilibrium current carriers and its effect on electric conductivity of the films are taken into account. It is supposed that energetic traps for nonequilibrium charge carriers are formed due to proximity of the ferrocenyl fragments in the oligomer and a long distance between its end groups.     

Characterization of Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films of a thiomacrocyclic ionophore by surface pressure and AFM

The new synthesized thiomacrocyclic ionophore 4-phenyl-4-sulfide-11-(1-oxodecyl)-1,7-dithia-11-aza-4-phosphacyclotetradecane has proven to form Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films. This ionophore shows a large affinity for copper(II) ions. Thus, the influence of the subphase composition on the surface pressure-area isotherms has been studied. The LB films have been observed by AFM and the effect of the subphase composition and the deposition surface pressure on the LB films is discussed. AFM image morphology has been correlated to the ionophore molecular structure. Surface pressure-area isotherms and AFM images show that the presence of copper(II) ions has an important role in the film structure.     

Structuring of tricarbocyanine dye molecules in Langmuir-Blodgett films

The problems of formation of stable Langmuir monolayers containingN-sulfopropyl substituted thiatricarbocyanine dyes are considered: the effects of the composition of the mixture applied on the surface of an aqueous subphase and of the extent of compression of the monolayer on processes of ordering of molecular structure. Dyes are introduced into complex monolayers at the water-air interface and then are transferred on solid substrates as multilayered Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films. For the first time the formation of J-aggregates has been observed for two tricarbocyanine dyes. The structure of J-aggregates depends on the composition of the mixture and the value of the constant pressure at which the transfer occurs. LB films of J-aggregated dyes are optically anisotropic, which is related to the fact that they are formed in the monolayer on the surface and there is no interlayer aggregation during the transfer to substrates. Heterodimers are formed in complex monolayers containing oppositely charged ions of dyes.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1278–1283, July, 1995.The work was partially financially supported by the Foundation for Basic Research of the State Committee on Science and Technologies of the Ukraine (Project No. 2.2/48 Normal').     

Origin of formation of blue-shifted aggregates including H-aggregates in mixed Langmuir–Blodgett films of merocyanine dye investigated by polarized visible and infrared spectroscopy

The structure of a merocyanine dye (MS) in red- and blue-shifted aggregates involving J- and H-aggregates in mixed LB films of MS–arachidic acid (C₂₀) binary and MS–C₂₀-n-octadecane (AL₁₈) ternary systems ([MS]:[C₂₀]:[AL₁₈] = 1:2:x; x = 0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0) fabricated using an aqueous subphase containing Cd²⁺ ions has been investigated by means of polarized visible and infrared spectroscopy. Not only the AL₁₈ molecules mixed as a third component but also the Cd²⁺ ions added to distilled water for the subphase used turn out to be the significant elements for the formation of the MS aggregates in all the ternary systems. It has been found that the degree of the MS intramolecular charge transfer strongly depends on the aggregation states; the J-aggregate (x = 0), H-aggregate (x = 1.0), oligomer (x = 2.0) and relatively small aggregates (x = 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0), and that the stabilization by the intramolecular charge transfer for the formation of the MS aggregates is induced according to the individual aggregation states. The gauche conformation is clarified to be slightly involved in the MS hydrocarbon chains for all the binary and ternary systems. The long axis of the MS hydrocarbon chains in the J-aggregates, being fairly tilted from the film normal, gradually approaches to the film normal with the increasing AL₁₈ content up to x = 2.0 with the orientation of the long axis of the MS hydrocarbon chains remaining constant in the subsequent ternary systems. It can be concluded that the formation of the red- and blue-shifted aggregates is ascribed to the difference in the MS slippage which can also be regulated by the degree of the orientation of the MS hydrocarbon chains, and that the decrease in the size of the MS aggregates accompanied by the increasing AL₁₈ content is due to the blocking by the AL₁₈ molecules being out of the empty space on the MS chromophore.     

Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films of proline-rich N-terminal domain peptide of gamma-zein

The proline-rich N-Terminal domain peptides of γ-zein (VHLPPP)_n with n = 1 and 3 (peptides I and II) are shown to form stable Langmuir films at air/water interface and the films have been characterized using surface pressure–molecular area (π–A), surface potential–molecular area (ΔV–A) isotherms, respectively. The longer peptide sequence does not show dramatic increase in surface or interfacial properties suggesting that the minimum length of n = 1 is sufficient to achieve the necessary surface properties. Brewster angle micrographs also agreed with these results. The high surface-active nature of the peptide suggests a fairly non-polar character at air/water interface and at solid/air interface when coated expresses a high surface energy.

Additives such as isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with the peptides showed more homogenous films at the air/water interface and also improved mechanical and tensile properties. The organized assembly of peptide I at the air/water and solid/air interface suggests that even thin layer of the peptide could play an important role in coating the inner surface of protein body membrane in storage proteins. Composite films of such short peptides with biocompatible polymers may find applications as surface coatings and in biomaterials.     

Formation of complex Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films of water soluble rosebengal

This communication reports the formation of complex Langmuir monolayer at the air-water interface by charge transfer types of interaction with the water soluble N-cetyl N,N,N-trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) molecules doped with rosebengal (RB), with the stearic acid (SA) molecules of a preformed SA Langmuir monolayer. The reaction kinetics of the formation of RB-CTAB-SA complex monolayer was monitored by observing the increase in surface pressure with time while the barrier was kept fixed. Completion of interaction kinetics was confirmed by FTIR study. This complex Langmuir films at the air-water interface was transferred onto solid substrates at a desired surface pressure to form multilayered Langmuir-Blodgett films. Spectroscopic characterizations reveal some molecular level interactions as well as formation of microcrystalline aggregates depending upon the molar ratios of CTAB and RB within the complex LB films. Presence of two types of species in the complex LB films was confirmed by fluorescence spectroscopy.     

Amphiphilic diblock dendrimers: synthesis and incorporation in Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films

A new dendron with peripheral long alkyl chains and containing five C(60) units in the branching shell has been prepared and attached to a Fréchet-type dendron functionalized with ethylene glycol chains. The peripheral substitution of the resulting globular dendrimer with hydrophobic chains on one hemisphere and hydrophilic groups on the other provides the perfect hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance allowing the formation of stable Langmuir films. Furthermore, a perfect reversibility has been observed in successive compression/decompression cycles. The diblock structure of the dendrimer has been also crucial for the efficient transfer of the Langmuir films in order to obtain well-ordered multilayered Langmuir-Blodgett films. This approach appears particularly interesting since functional groups not well adapted for the preparation of Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films such as fullerenes can be attached into the branching shell of the dendritic structure and, thus, efficiently incorporated in thin ordered films.     

Molecular organization in two-dimensional films of liquid II. Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films of a perylene-like dye mixed with liquid crystals having a terminal cyano group crystalline mixtures

Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of a perylene-like compound and its binary mixtures with 4-octyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) and 4-pentyl-4"-cyano-p-terphenyl (5CT) have been studied. On the basis of the surface pressure-area isotherms, the molecular organization on the air-water interface has been estimated. Information about the miscibility or the phase separation of components in the binary mixtures has been obtained. The spectroscopic study of the LB films has allowed conclusions to be drawn about the arrangement of the molecules on the quartz slides. The fluorescence spectra of the LB films of the perylene-like compound have revealed the formation of self-aggregates.     

Synthesis and supramolecular self-assembly study of a novel porphyrin molecule in Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films

The self-assembly and supramolecular engineering of porphyrins into ordered arrays have recently attracted much interest because of their promising application potential in molecular and electronic devices, spintronics, energy harvesting and storage, catalysis, and sensor development. We herein report the synthesis and supramolecular self-assembly study of a novel porphyrin molecule, 2Por-TAZ, in Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films. The 2Por-TAZ molecule contains two porphyrin macrocycles attached to a triaminotriazine headgroup. Triaminotriazines are known to form a highly ordered linear supramolecular self-assembly through complementary hydrogen bonding with barbituric acid molecules at the air-water interface. Surface pressure-area isotherm measurements and polarized UV-vis absorption spectroscopic studies indicate that the 2Por-TAZ molecules adopted an edge-on orientation at the air-water interface. Polarized UV-vis absorption study also revealed that the 2Por-TAZ molecules formed linear supramolecular networks on pure water and barbituric acid subphase with porphyrin flat planes facing toward the compression direction. The binding of barbituric acid with 2Por-TAZ molecules was observed from the expansion of the Langmuir monolayer film. Compared to the transferred LB film from pure water subphase, both the UV-vis absorbance and fluorescence emission intensity of the LB film transferred from barbituric acid subphase increased significantly.     

Molecular organization in two-dimensional films of liquid II. Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films of a perylene-like dye mixed with liquid crystals having a terminal cyano group crystalline mixtures

Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of a perylene-like compound and its binary mixtures with 4-octyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) and 4-pentyl-4"-cyano-p-terphenyl (5CT) have been studied. On the basis of the surface pressure-area isotherms, the molecular organization on the air-water interface has been estimated. Information about the miscibility or the phase separation of components in the binary mixtures has been obtained. The spectroscopic study of the LB films has allowed conclusions to be drawn about the arrangement of the molecules on the quartz slides. The fluorescence spectra of the LB films of the perylene-like compound have revealed the formation of self-aggregates.