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.     

四硫代富瓦烯及其CT复合物导电LB膜

通过Langmuir-Blodgett（LB）技术制备导电性有机超薄膜近年来受到了广泛的关注，导电LB膜的膜材料主要是含有电子受体77’，8，8’一四氨基二亚甲基本自（TCN则的电行转移（CT）复合物间以及给体分子特别是四流代宫瓦烯衍生物［‘刮.在以前的工作中，我们曾报导了四等基硫四硫     

稀土Eu(Ⅲ)双酞菁衍生物LB膜的荧光性

合成了八－４－（四氢糠氧基）酞菁铕（Ⅲ）,通过元素分析、红外光谱、质谱和紫外－可见光谱加以确认。测定了配合物的ＩＩ－Ａ曲线,证明它有很好的成膜性,Ｚ型沉积形成的ＬＢ膜材料有很强的荧光响应,随着ＬＢ膜厚度的增加,荧光性增强。掺杂邻菲咯啉形成的混合ＬＢ膜,其荧光性比纯膜强。但不是邻菲咯啉加入的量越多荧光性越强。配合物：邻菲咯啉＝１：１０时（摩尔比）,有最好的荧光行为。用电子光谱对ＬＢ膜的结构进行了表征     

Study of assembly of arachidic acid/LDHs hybrid films containing photoactive dyes

Hybrid monolayers formed with an floating arachidic acid (AA) anions monolayer binding with a densely packed layered double hydroxides (LDHs) monolayer at an air/LDHs suspension interface has been studied by pi-A isotherms and TEM images. An ordered multilayer film of AA/LDHs has been fabricated by Langmuir-Blodgett technique on various substrates. The photoactive dyes (methyl orange, MO, and Congo red, CR) can be incorporated into the galleries of LDHs in the AA/LDHs hybrid LB film by an ion intercalation method. The results of FTIR and UV-vis absorption spectra can approve the formation of AA/LDHs/dyes composite films. In addition, UV-vis absorption spectra and LAXRD analyses also provide evidence for the good vertical uniformity and stable layered periodic structure of AA/LDHs/dyes films. More interestingly, it was found that the dye molecules intercalated can be induced by a positively charged LDHs sheet to align in a special orientation and form different aggregates: MO molecules form sandwich H-type aggregates, while CR molecules form head-to-tail J-type aggregates. On the basis of these data, a possible model of the AA/LDHs/dyes composite films was proposed. Also, the dye molecules incorporated into AA/LDHs films exhibit excellent configuration stability under the irradiation of UV light because the LDHs matrix offers a more rigid and constrained environment for them.     

Photo-induced structural changes of azobenzene Langmuir-Blodgett films

Structural changes of the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of azobenzene accompanied by photoisomerization are described. First, photoisomerization is explained in terms of 'free volume'. In the polyion complex monolayers of amphiphiles having two azobenzene units at the air-water interface, the area per molecule depends on the polycation species. The fraction of cis-azobenzene in the LB films at the photostationary state under the illumination with UV light increased with increasing area per molecule, which is consistent with the concept of free volume. Second, a counter example of the concept of free volume is presented. Three-dimensional cone-shaped structures developed with trans-to-cis photoisomerization in the polyion complex LB film of a water-soluble amphiphilic azobenzene. These structures appeared and disappeared reversibly by alternate illumination with UV and visible light. The results indicate that the two-dimensional LB film structure exerts significant modification by photoisomerization. This is against the concept of free volume because this concept does not consider the possibility that the two-dimensional LB film structures may change into three-dimensional ones. Finally, photo-induced J-aggregate formation of non-photochromic and photochromic dyes is described. Two cyanine dyes were each mixed with an amphiphilic azobenzene in the LB films. These cyanine dyes are known to form J-aggregates in single-component LB films. In the mixed LB films, the J-aggregate formation was suppressed to some extent. The alternate illumination of the films with UV and visible light caused the photoisomerization of azobenzene in the mixed LB films, which triggered the J-aggregate formation of the cyanine dyes. The J-aggregate formation was accompanied by the development of three-dimensional cone-shaped structures from the film surface. When an amphiphilic merocyanine was mixed with the azobenzene in the LB films, J-aggregate formation was also induced by the alternate illumination with UV and visible light. This J-aggregate formation was also accompanied by a large morphological change: circular domains changed into fractal-like ones. The J-aggregate formation of the dyes and the concomitant morphological change were irreversible. In these cases, the photoisomerization of azobenzene served as a trigger to induce self-organization of the dye molecules.     

Metal ion-induced H-aggregation of a water-soluble anionic dye Congo red (CR) in Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) film

Present communication reports the preparation of Langmuir monolayer of water-soluble anionic dye Congo red (CR) by allowing it to adsorb from the aqueous subphase onto the preformed Langmuir monolayer of anionic stearic acid using divalent metal cations Mg²⁺ as mediator. Isotherm and compressibility studies of SA-Mg-CR hybrid monolayer gave valuable information about the molecular organisation in the Langmuir monolayer. Absorption spectroscopic studies revealed the formation of H-aggregates in the hybrid Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films fabricated at lower salt concentration in the subphase. Atomic Force Microscopic image gave visual evidence of distinct nanocrystalline domains in the LB monolayer film.     

PHOTO ACOUSTIC SPECTRA OF PHYCOBILIPROTEINS and CHLOROPHYLLIN IN ISOTROPIC and ANISOTROPIC POLYVINYL ALCOHOL FILMS

Abstract— Photoacoustic spectra (PAS) of biliproteins: R-phycoerythrin (PE) with R-phycocyanin (PC) admixture in isotropic and anisotropic polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA) films were measured. The mixtures of biliproteins and chlorophyllin (Chllin) in PVA were also investigated. In order to establish the influence of PVA anisotropy on PAS amplitude, the stretched and unstretched PVA films colored by Congo red were studied. The films with PE and Chllin mixture when illuminated in the region of PE absorption, show higher PAS signals than the films with PE alone. This is explained by the excitation energy transfer from efficiently fluorescent PE to Chllin that has much lower yield of fluorescence. The stretched films always show a higher PAS signal than isotropic films because of the increase in the thermal conductivity of PVA. But normalized PAS of Congo red and Chllin in stretched PVA are similar to those in unstretched films.
Pigment molecules oriented parallel to the direction of film stretching have a lower rate of thermal deactivation compared to that of unoriented molecules as has been found by comparing PAS of differently oriented Congo red molecules using photoselection by polarized light. The same result was obtained for various PE chromophores which are differently oriented in anisotropic films.     

稀土三酞菁夹心化合物混合LB膜的研究

将不对称三明治型夹心化合物(Pc)Dy[Pc(OC₈H₁₇)₈]Dy[Pc(OC₈H₁₇)₈]与硬脂酸混合成膜，表面压-面积（π-A）曲线表明形成了稳定的单层膜，由透射电子显微镜（TEM）观察,表明硬脂酸的加入有效地改善了分子的聚集行为，分子形成了取向高度有序的结构。用紫外-可见光谱、偏振紫外可见光谱、低角X射线衍射等对LB膜进行了研究，发现该取代稀土三酞菁分子在气/液界面上长链向上伸展，分子之间均以面对面（face-to-face）排列，以一边接触（edge-on）方式取向,大环平面与基片夹角约为52°，每层厚度为2.41 nm。     

Preparation and properties of nanosized fluorescent solid films based on a polyelectrolyte-surfactant complex with organic dyes

A procedure for preparing an organosoluble stoichiometric complex based on a cationic polyelectrolyte and an anionic surfactant is described. A method is proposed for forming monolayers at the water-air interface, along with conditions for preparing fluorescent nanosized solid films based on polyelectrolyte complex and organic dyes using the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) method. The spectral and luminescent properties of the obtained films are investigated. It is established from the absorption and fluorescence spectra of LB films that electrostatic interaction between the molecules of polyelectrolyte complex and oxazine dyes results in dimer formation.     

5-对羟基苯基-10,15,20-三对甲氧基苯基卟啉镍LB膜的研制与表征

近年来具有特定功能的卟啉、酞青衍生物LB膜制备的成功,为其在光学、微电子学、光电化学、化学生物传感器和模拟生物过程中的广泛应用开辟了新的途径。     

Controlling the Structural and Electrical Properties of Diacid Oligo(Phenylene Ethynylene) Langmuir–Blodgett Films

The preparation, characterization and electrical properties of Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films composed of a symmetrically substituted oligomeric phenylene ethynylene derivative, namely, 4,4′‐[1,4‐phenylenebis(ethyne‐2,1‐diyl)]dibenzoic acid (OPE2A), are described. Analysis of the surface pressure versus area per molecule isotherms and Brewster angle microscopy reveal that good‐quality Langmuir (L) films can be formed both on pure water and a basic subphase. Monolayer L films were transferred onto solid substrates with a transfer ratio of unity to obtain LB films. Both L and LB films prepared on or from a pure water subphase show a red shift in the UV/Vis spectrum of about 14 nm, in contrast to L and LB films prepared from a basic subphase, which show a hypsochromic shift of 15 nm. This result, together with X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopic and quartz crystal microbalance experiments, conclusively demonstrate formation of one‐layer LB films in which OPE2A molecules are chemisorbed onto gold substrates and consequently ? COO? Au junctions are formed. In LB films prepared on a basic subphase the other terminal acid group is also deprotonated and associates with an Na⁺ counterion. In contrast, LB films prepared from a pure water subphase preserve the protonated acid group, and lateral H‐bonds with neighbouring molecules give rise to a supramolecular structure. STM‐based conductance studies revealed that films prepared from a basic subphase are more conductive than the analogous films prepared from pure water, and the electrical conductance of the deprotonated films also coincides more closely with single‐molecule conductance measurements. This result was interpreted not only in terms of better electron transmission in ? COO? Au molecular junctions, but also in terms of the presence of lateral H‐bonds in the films formed from pure water, which lead to reduced conductance of the molecular junctions.     

Adsorption kinetics of a fluorescent dye in a long chain fatty acid matrix

This work reports the adsorption kinetics of a highly fluorescent laser dye rhodamine B (RhB) in a preformed stearic acid (SA) Langmuir monolayer. The reaction kinetics was studied by surface pressure-time (π-t) curve at constant area and in situ fluorescence imaging microscopy (FIM). Increase in surface pressure (at constant area) with time as well as increase in surface coverage of monolayer film at air-water interface provide direct evidence for the interaction. ATR-FTIR spectra also supported the interaction and consequent complexation in the complex films. UV-vis absorption and Fluorescence spectra of the complex Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films confirm the presence of RhB molecules in the complex films transferred onto solid substrates. The outcome of this work clearly shows successful incorporation of RhB molecules into SA matrix without changing the photophysical characteristics of the dye, thus making the dye material as LB compatible.     

Dual binding modes of Congo red to amyloid protofibril surface observed in molecular dynamics simulations

Congo red has been used to identify amyloid fibrils in tissues for more than 80 years and is also a weak inhibitor to both amyloid-beta fibril formation and toxicity. However, the specificity of the binding and its inhibition mechanism remain unclear. Using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations with the explicit solvent model, we have identified and characterized two specific binding modes of Congo red molecules to a protofibril formed by an amyloidogenic fragment (GNNQQNY) of the yeast prion protein Sup35. The observation of dual-mode was consistent with the experimentally observed dual-mode binding to Abeta fibrils by a series of compounds similar to Congo red. In the primary mode, Congo red bound to a regular groove formed by the first three residues (GNN) of the beta-strands along the beta-sheet extension direction. Comparative simulations demonstrated that Thioflavin T also bound to the grooves on KLVFFAE protofibril surface. Because of the ubiquitous long grooves on the amyloid fibril surface, we propose that this binding interaction could be a general recognition mode of amyloid fibrils by Congo red, Thioflavin T, and other long flat molecules. In the secondary mode, Congo red bound parallel to the beta-strands on the edge or in the middle of a beta-sheet. The primary binding mode of Congo red and GNNQQNY protofibril was more stable than the secondary mode by -5.7 kcal/mol as estimated by the MM-GBSA method. Detailed analysis suggests that the hydrophobic interactions play important roles for burial of the hydrophobic part of the Congo red molecules. Two potential inhibition mechanisms of disrupting beta-sheet stacking were inferred from the primary mode, which could be exploited for the development of non-peptidic amyloid-specific inhibitors.     

聚酰亚胺LB膜热解制备SiC薄膜的XPS研究

用XPS对沉积在硅基片上的聚酰亚胺LB膜以及由它真空热解制备的SiC薄膜进行了研究 ,并对其形成过程进行了跟踪分析 .XPS结果显示聚酰亚胺LB膜结构均匀 ,质量良好 ;真空热解时 ,约在 6 70℃时LB膜中的C与衬底Si反应形成SiC ;Ar离子溅射深度俄歇谱表明所制备的SiC膜中Si和C浓度成梯度分布 ,说明SiC是由Si和C相互扩散反应形成的     

电荷转移配合物薄膜制备方法和结构表征的研究进展

回顾了与Langmuir-Blodgett(LB)技术有关的电荷转移配合物薄膜的各类制备方法、结构表征结果,并比较了制备方法对薄膜结构的影响.例如,将LB膜C18H37TCNQ(电子受体)插入到电子给体3,3’,5,5’-tetramethylbenzidine(四甲基联苯胺, TMB)的石油醚溶液中进行掺杂,制备了TMB•C18H37TCNQ电荷转移配合物薄膜.在这种薄膜中,给体和受体以面对面的方式堆积,两者的环平面与基片平面接近垂直.而采用硬脂酸和C18H37TCNQ的混合LB膜通过类似的掺杂路线制备的TMB•C18H37TCNQ薄膜的结构发生了一些变化,例如其长的烃链C18H37更加垂直于基片平面.通过比较以前的各种实验结果可以得出以下结论:电荷转移配合物的结构可以通过制备方法得到控制.     

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.     

Fabrication and properties of fullerodendron thin films

Thin films of fullerodendron (C(60)(Gn-COOMe) (n = 0.5, 1.5, 2.5)), which was synthesized from fullerene and anthracenyl poly(amido amine) dendron with methyl ester terminals and different generations (G), were fabricated by the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) and adsorption techniques. It was characterized by X-ray reflectometry that the LB films possessed well-ordered structure, although the adsorption method led to random orientation of molecules. As to C(60)(G0.5-COOMe) and C(60)(G1.5-COOMe), the LB films took a four-layer structure consisting of a double layer of molecules, and fullerene moieties exist in the interior of the LB films. On the other hand, C(60)(G2.5-COOMe) led to a two-layer structure in which the fullerene moieties were at the air side and the dendron moieties were at the substrate side. With increasing generation of dendron, the monolayer formation ability at the air/water interface as amphiphilic molecule strengthens and the amphiphilic property becomes superior to the fullerene-fullerene attractive interaction that prevents the monolayer formation. Furthermore, in the case of C(60)(G0.5-COOMe) and C(60)(G1.5-COOMe), the reduction peak in cyclic voltammetry of the LB film remained even after UV light irradiation. On the contrary, the peak of the C(60)(G2.5-COOMe) LB film disappeared, indicating that molecular arrangement in the films affects electrochemical properties.     

Molecular organization in binary mixtures of derivatives of naphthalenebicarboxylic acid and naphthoylenebenzimidazole with a liquid crystal in two-dimensional layers II. Langmuir-Blodgett films

Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of some dichroic dyes, namely derivatives of naphthalenebicarboxylic acid and derivatives of naphthoylenebenzimidazole, and of their mixtures with mesogens: 4-octyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl or 4-pentyl-4'-cyano-p-terphenyl were prepared. Absorption and fluorescence studies using unpolarized and linearly polarized light were carried out. Both absorption and fluorescence spectra indicated the formation of aggregates of dye molecules in monomolecular layers. Moreover, it was found that dye molecules are more tilted to the quartz surface in LB films than to the plane of the air-water interface in Langmuir films.     

Molecularly organized Langmuir-Blodgett films from a ruthenium biphosphine complex

Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films from a ruthenium complex mer-[RuCl3 (dppb)(4-Mepy)] (dppb = PPh2 (CH2)4PPh2; 4-Mepy = 4-methylpyridine), termed Ru-Pic, display a distinct color, which is different from the coloration exhibited by cast films or chloroform solutions. The solution and cast films are red, while the LB films are green-bluish. The manifestation of the blue color in the LB film finds its explanation in a unique absorption band at 690 nm, which is associated with the oxidation of the phosphine moieties. Fluorescence emission and absorption-reflection infrared spectroscopy measurements revealed the molecular organization in the LB films. In contrast, cast films showed a random distribution of complexes. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering was also used in an attempt to identify the main interactions in Ru-Pic.     

Langmuir-Blodgett films of p-terphenyl in different matrices: evidence of dual excimer

Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films at different mole fractions of p-terphenyl have been prepared using two different matrices, viz., stearic acid (SA) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). Multilayered LB films have been formed by changing various LB parameters namely, mole fraction of mixing, changing the number of layers as well as also the different surface pressure of lifting. The spectroscopic characteristics of mixed LB films, solution and microcrystal have been compared using UV-vis absorption and steady state fluorescence spectroscopy. Change of planarity of TP molecules are occurred while going from solution to solid states/films. Fluorescence spectra of the mixed LB films reveal intense excimeric emission in the mixed LB films with D1 excimer peak at 397 nm and D2 excimer peak at 412 nm. Various LB parameters namely changing the number of layers as well as the different surface pressure of lifting played important roles in the formation of dual excimeric sites in the mixed LB films.