Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-06T08:10:37.706Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Grazing Incidence X-ray Diffraction Studies of Thin Films at the air-liquid Interface

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2011

Coralie Alonso
Affiliation:
Weizmann Institute of Science, ‘Materials and Interfaces’ Dpt, Rehovot 76100, Israel
Anne Renault
Affiliation:
Universite Rennes I, ‘Matiere Condensee et Materiaux’ Dpt, Rennes 35042, France
Meir Lahav
Affiliation:
Weizmann Institute of Science, ‘Materials and Interfaces’ Dpt, Rehovot 76100, Israel
Leslie Leiserowitz
Affiliation:
Weizmann Institute of Science, ‘Materials and Interfaces’ Dpt, Rehovot 76100, Israel
Get access

Abstract

Monomolecular films at the air-water interface can be investigated on the subnanometer scale with grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) using synchrotron radiation. This surface semsitive technique utilizes the property of total external reflection of X-rays from a water surface : an evanescent wave generated within the film diffracts in the surface plane giving an image of the film reciprocal lattice. Three applications of GIXD are presented ranging from poorly to highly crystalline thin films. (i) Cholesteryl-L-glutamate forms a crystalline monolayer at the air-water interface within which the glutamate moieties are not closely packed. This system specifically incorporates hydrophobic amino acids from the subphase. (ii) Long-chain cholesteryl esters deposited on the water surface spontaneously self assemble, forming crystalline interdigitated bilayers. The molecular structure, solved at the atomic resolution, was found to be similar to the 3D counterpart. (iii) According to 2-D diffraction theory, the shape of Bragg peaks is related to the mechanical constants of the film. Rigidity of the film can be deduced from a detailed peak analysis for secondary short chain alcohols showing a softening of the monolayer close to melting.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2001

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Lipp, M.M., et al. , Biophys. J. 72, 27832804 (1997).Google Scholar
2. Weis, R.M. and McConnell, H.M., J. Phys. Chem. 89, 44534459 (1985).Google Scholar
3. Rapaport, H., et al. , J. Phys. Chem. B 104, 13991428 (2000).Google Scholar
4. Gaines, G., Insoluble Monolayers at liquid-gas interfaces, (Intersciences Publishers, New York, 1966)Google Scholar
5. Azzam, R.M.A. and Bashara, N.M., Ellipsometry and Polarized Light, (Amsterdam, 1977)Google Scholar
6. Weis, R.M. and McConnell, H.M., Nature 310, 47 (1984).Google Scholar
7. Henon, S. and Meunier, J., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 62, 936 (1991).Google Scholar
8. Als-Nielsen, J., et al. , Physics Reports 246, 251313 (1994).Google Scholar
9. , Hercules, Applications to soft condensed matter and biology, Vol 3 (Les Editions de Physique - Springer Verlag, 1994)Google Scholar
10. Sellergren, B., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 39, 10311037 (2000).Google Scholar
11. Weissbuch, I., et al. , Science 25, 637645 (1991).Google Scholar
12. Small, D.M., The physical chemistry of lipids. Handbook of lipid research, Vol 4 (Plenum Press, New York, 1986)Google Scholar
13. Slater, J.L. and Huang, C.-H., Prog. Lipid Res. 27, 325359 (1988).Google Scholar
14. Kuzmenko, I., et al. , Science 274, 20462049 (1996).Google Scholar
15. Barnard, J.A.W. and Lydon, J.E., Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst. 26, 285296 (1974).Google Scholar
16. Weissbuch, I., et al. , Acta Cryst. B51, 115148 (1995).Google Scholar
17. Jacquemain, D., et al. , Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 31, 130152 (1992).Google Scholar
18. Wang, J.-L., et al. , J. Am. Chem. Soc. 116, 11921204 (1994).Google Scholar
19. Gavish, M., et al. , Science 250, 973975 (1990).Google Scholar
20. Majewski, J., et al. , Science 261, 899902 (1993).Google Scholar
21. Jacques, J., Collet, A. and Wilen, S.H., Enantiomers, Racemates and Resolutions, (New York, 1981)Google Scholar
22. Worthman, L.-A.D., et al. , Biophys. J. 72, 25692580 (1997).Google Scholar
23. Xu, X. and London, E., Biochemistry 39, 843849 (2000).Google Scholar
24. Nelson, D.R. and Halperin, B.I., Phys. Rev. B 19, 24572484 (1979).Google Scholar
25. Zakri, C., et al. , Phys. Rev. B 55, 14 163-14 172 (1997).Google Scholar
26. Renault, A., et al. , Euro. Phys. J. B 1, 189196 (1998).Google Scholar