Langmuir–Blodgett films of molecular organic materials

Abstract

Langmuir–Blodgett methods are perhaps the original approach for achieving controlleddeposition of organic thin films. Molecules are first organized into a monolayer array on thesurface of water before transfer as a monolayer onto solid supports. Molecular monolayers,multilayers, and multilayered heterostructures can be achieved. The capability of exercisingsuch control over thin film assemblies has attracted materials chemists and physicists todevelop Langmuir–Blodgett films for studies on organic conductors, magnets,non-linear optics, rectifiers, and intermolecular electron transfer. This article reviewsobjectives in each of these areas and selects some specific examples from the literatureto highlight the state of the art, mostly from the point of view of the chemicalsystems that are studied. Mixed organic/inorganic hybrid films represent a newdirection for Langmuir–Blodgett films in materials science, combining conventionalinorganic solid-state phenomena with the properties of the organic networks,and recent examples, taken principally from the authors’ work, are highlighted.