1 research outputs found
Morphology and Composition of Structured, Phase-Separated Behenic Acid–Perfluorotetradecanoic Acid Monolayer Films
The phase separation
of immiscible surfactants in mixed monolayer
films provides an approach to physically manipulate important properties
of thin films, including surface morphology, microscale composition,
and mechanical properties. In this work, we predict, based upon existing
miscibility studies and their thermodynamic underpinnings described
in the literature, the miscibility and film morphology of mixed monolayers
comprised of behenic acid (C<sub>21</sub>H<sub>43</sub>COOH) and perfluorotetradecanoic
acid (C<sub>13</sub>F<sub>27</sub>COOH) in various molar ratios. Predictions
are tested using a combination of experimental surface characterization
methods for probing miscibility and film morphology at the solid/air
and air/water interfaces. Film components were immiscible and phase-separated
into chemically well-defined domains under a variety of experimental
conditions, with monolayer morphology consistent with initial predictions.
The extensibility of these basic predictions to other systems is discussed
in the context of using these works for different perfluorinated surfactant
molecules