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Polypropylene membranes with deposited ultrathin "siin" layers are attractive for separation and cleaning of gaseous mixtures. In the present study, the surface morphology and wetting hysteresis of composite membranes consisting of a microporous polypropylene support and Langmuir-Blodgett ("skin") films, are investigated. The effect of the interlayer molecular interactions and the substrate features on the integrity and homogeneity of the "skin" layers is examined. Langmuir-Blodgett films of arachidic acid and cadmium and calcium arachidate are characterized both on smooth silicon and on porous polypropylene supports. Contact angle measurements and scanning force microscopy (SFM) are applied for investigations of the membrane surface modification upon transfer of a different number of monolayers. It was found that the contact angle hysteresis of the bare membrane decreases after the LB-deposition of close-packed monolayers. Smoothing of the membrane surface is also evidenced by the SFM images, on different length scales, confirming a good coverage of the membrane pores.
Langmuir monolayers of arachidic acid have been prepared on a subphase containing uranyl ions (O-U-O)ý+. The interaction between the uranyl ions and the monolayer of arachidic acid has been studied by means of surface pressure and surface potential isotherms and Brewster angle microscopy at different pH values (ranging from 1.5 to 8). A similar systematic study has been carried out in the presence of Cdý+ ions for comparison purposes. The surface pressure and surface potential isotherms demonstrate that the acid to salt conversion of arachidic acid in the presence of uranyl ions occurs at lower bulk pH values (pH=3.5) as compared with other bivalent metal counterions such as Cdý+. Changes in the surface morphology of the monolayer induced by the interaction with uranyl- and cadmium ions are analyzed and the correlation between the surface potential change and the morphology of the films is discussed.
In this second paper we describe the comprehensive structure investigations on multilayers of uranyl arachidate formed by Langmuir-Blodgett deposition from subphases of different pH on solid substrates by means of a combination of infrared spectroscopy, X-ray specular reflection, ellipsometry, and scanning force microscopy, The structure of these multilayers and their stability are obviously influenced by the subphase pH. The pH range of the acid to salt conversion determined for the Langmuir films is confirmed by the infrared spectroscopic data of the multilayers. While arachidic acid films, deposited from an uranyl acetate subphase of low pH, are found to have strongly distorted rough surface, the films of uranyl structure, The influence of the counterions on the alkyl chain conformation, chain packing, reorganization probability, and stability of the multilayer is discussed.