Characterization of Langmuir-Blodgett Films by Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy
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Date
2020-01-15
Authors
Hou, Nairong
Advisor
Cory, David
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Waterloo
Abstract
Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films built up with amphiphilic molecules have well-known
optical, electrical and magnetic properties. For most applications, it is fundamentally
important to understand the structure of the films. Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy
has proven to be a powerful tool for measuring sample structure, yet few studies
have been performed on monolayer LB films, primarily due to a lack of sufficient sensitivity.
In this work, the fabrication and structural characterization of novel spin-labeled LB
films is discussed and demonstrated. Mixed 16-DSA/SA monolayer films containing 10^13 -
10^14 free-radical electron spins were created and characterized for the first-time using continuous
wave (CW) ESR spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Through simulation
and image analysis, an order parameter was extracted suggesting that the sample
assumes a multi-domain liquid crystal structure when deposited on a solid substrate.
Description
Keywords
ESR, LB films