DEFECT-FREE LB FILMS BY THE ISOBARIC THERMAL-TREATMENT OF BARIUM ARACHIDATE MONOLAYERS

“isobaric thermal treatment”, i.e., temperature rises and falls of monolayers under a constant surface pressure, makes monolayers and resultant LB films densify and be free from defect. This was confirmed by the copper electroplating of the one-layer LB films and by the observation of optical microphotos of the LB samples. The number of defects per unit area detected by the copper electroplating method decreased monotonously with increasing attained temperature from thermal treatment. it was shown experimentally that the number of defects in LB films of barium arachidate became almost zero when the monolayer was isobaric thermally treated up to 55°C at 15 mN/m. © 1990 IOP Publishing Ltd.