THE STUDY OF SURFACTANT MONOLAYERS BY SURFACE PRESSURE AREA MEASUREMENT

This review provides an introduction to the Langmuir Trough technique for studying insoluble surfactant monolayers, highlighting the scope of the method as well as pointing out some of the practical difficulties and pitfalls. The formation of gaseous, liquid, and close-packed surfactant films is discussed. The technique is shown to be a powerful tool for studying molecular interactions in mixed systems, but it is noted there is a need for further development of theories to explain experimental observations.