MOBILE SUPPORTED MONOLAYERS OF IONIC AMPHIPHILES - VARIATION OF DOMAIN MORPHOLOGY VIA PREADSORBED POLYELECTROLYTES

The aggregation behavior of the amphiphilic L-glutamate derivatives 1 and 2 and the micromorphology alteration of their domain structures induced by an adjacent mobile polymer matrix have been investigated via fluorescence microscopy at air/water and air/substrate interfaces. The electrostatic interaction of the positively charged lipids 1 and 2 with the polyelectrolyte alginic acid sodium salt in the aqueous subphase leads to a distinct fluidization of the monolayer at the air/water interface. Monolayers have been transferred by the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique out of different aggregation states onto various substrates. The various substrates have been prepared by successive polymer preadsorption to the solid support. This technique of polymer-polymer complexation or polymer stacking permits a modification of the surface constitution and the polymer matrix thickness or swellability. The morphology variability of the domain structures of the amphiphiles 1 and 2 on the solid supports has been investigated by fluorescence microscopy. Due to the adjacent mobile polymer matrix and its water swellability, the supported amphiphilic monolayers were able to change their domain structures. The morphology alteration at the air/substrate interface has been examined intensively as a function of the adjacent polymer layers, the water content, and the temperature. Moreover, reversible temperature dependent domain structure variations of transferred layers have been examined by fluorescence microscopy.