Atomic Force Microscopy Study of the Texture of Condensed Phase

Langmuir 1998, 14, 1815-1821

1815

Atomic Force Microscopy Study of the Texture of Condensed Phase Domains in 1-Monostearoylglycerol Monolayers K. Meine, D. Vollhardt,* and G. Weidemann Max-Planck-Institut fu¨ r Kolloid- und Grenzfla¨ chenforschung, Rudower Chaussee 5, 12489 Berlin, Germany Received September 22, 1997. In Final Form: December 29, 1997 Atomic force microscopy (AFM) in friction mode is successfully used for probing the inner structure of condensed phase domains of 1-monostearoylglycerol (MSG) monolayers transferred from the air-water interface onto mica, glass, and silicon wafers by the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique. The friction anisotropy reveals the same 7-fold domain substructure as observed at the air-water interface by Brewster angle microscopy (BAM). It is caused by differences in the tilt orientation of the molecules within the domain segments. After deposition of the monolayer, the main features of the condensed phase morphology, such as size, shape, and azimuthal tilt, are preserved independent of the solid substrate. The widths of the straight segment lines were found to be