Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, Vol.12, No.3, 1936-1941, 1994
Crystallization Process of Langmuir-Blodgett-Films of Octadecylthiobenzoquinone
Atomic force microscopy images of the electron acceptor 2-octadecylthio-1,4-benzoquinone prepared as 2-4 Y-type Langmuir-Blodgett films revealed the formation of nanoscale crystals one week after deposition. The crystals have a layered structure with a total height from 3 to 15 nm and they each covered an area of < 1 mum2 on the substrate. In the plane of a layer, the molecules formed a two molecular rectangular unit cell with sides of 0.51+/-0.01 nm and 1.35+/-0.03 nm. The measured step height of a layer was 3.6+/-0.2 nm and gives a tilt of the alkyl chains of 54+/-3-degrees relative to the normal to the interface between layers. The packing density of 0.34+/-0.1 nm2 per molecules in the plane of a layer is significantly different from the packing density on the water subphase during deposition and the packing density found on the flat Langmuir-Blodgett bilayer of about 0.26 nm2. This means that a transition from a two-dimensional packing to a three-dimensional bulk crystal has taken place. This transition is more easily induced on a hydrophobic silicon substrate than on a bilayer of hydrophobic fatty acid. Six months after preparation, the crystal had grown in size, and now covered a typical area of almost-equal-to 15 mum2. The mobility of molecules necessary for this growth is discussed.
Keywords:ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPY;X-RAY-DIFFRACTION;ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY;CADMIUM ARACHIDATE;MONOLAYERS;WATER;MULTILAYER;SURFACE;AIR