ACCUMULATION OF MONOMOLECULAR POLYSTYRENE PARTICLES FROM A WATER-SURFACE ONTO A SUBSTRATE

Monomolecular particles of polystyrene (Mw/Mn = 1.04, Mw = 3.84 ? 106) formed by spreading of a dilute solution in benzene over a water surface were successfully accumulated onto a hydrophobic substrate by the horizontal lifting method. The accumulation was quantitative (up to 66 layers) to give a multilayer film. The substrates used were silicon single crystals, quartz coated with an iron(III) stearate monolayer, and poly(methylmethacrylate) plates. The film contained voids amounting to 20‐30 vol%. The surface structure observed by transmission electron microscopy clearly showed a multilayer, particle structure. These facts indicate that the molecules exist as monomolecular particles in the film. The film should be a suitable material to study properties of polymeric monomolecules in a very unusual state as compared with the ordinary solid. Copyright ? 1990 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.