Abstract
The structure of the Langmuir-Gibbs films of normal alkanes Cn of length n = 12-21 formed at the surface of aqueous solutions of C mTAB surfactants, m = 14, 16, and 18, was studied by surface-specific synchrotron X-ray methods. At high temperatures, a laterally disordered monolayer of mixed alkane molecules and surface-adsorbed surfactant tails is found, having thicknesses well below those of the alkanes and surfactant tails extended length. The mixed monolayer undergoes a freezing transition at a temperature Ts(n,m), which forms, for n ≤ m + 1, a crystalline monolayer of mixed alkane molecules and surfactant tails. For n ≥ m + 2, a bilayer forms, consisting of an upper pure-alkane, crystalline monolayer and a lower liquidlike monolayer. The crystalline monolayer in both cases consists of hexagonally packed extended, surface-normal-aligned chains. The hexagonal lattice constant is found to decrease with increasing n. The films structure is discussed in conjunction with their thermodynamic properties presented in an accompanying paper.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 8010-8019 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Langmuir |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | 27 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 15 Jul 2014 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Spectroscopy
- General Materials Science
- Surfaces and Interfaces
- Electrochemistry