A novel method for monolayer deposition: water seepage method

A method has been developed to deposit monolayers of a supramolecular assembly of amphiphiles onto solid substrates. A stable monolayer in a solid state is allowed to form at the air-water interface. The subphase is then allowed to seep out at a controlled rate and the monolayer descends and ultimately is deposited on the solid substrate. The quality of the films thus formed is comparable to that of the film deposited by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. The method is simple, cost-effective and adaptable for scaling up for industrial application or scaling down for specialized use.