Journal of Physical Chemistry B, Vol.107, No.15, 3486-3495, 2003
Mechanism of meniscus oscillations and stripe pattern formation in Langmuir-Blodgett films
The mechanism of the meniscus oscillations and the stripes formation within the deposited fatty acid monolayer is theoretically analyzed on the basis of a supposition of concentration polarization within the solution during the deposition process. The concentration polarization can lead to decrease of adhesion work, dynamic contact angle, and maximum deposition speed under dynamic conditions resulting in meniscus instability. The adhesion work is evaluated from the disjoining pressure isotherm at a given subphase composition taking into account the charge regulation for a fatty acid monolayer. The relation of the proposed mechanism to the known experimental facts and observations is discussed.