X-ray reflectometry study of self-assembled ionic nanolayers

Abstract

The self-assembly technique has been applied for the fabrication of thin films including macrocyclic molecules. These multilayered structures, grown by sequential deposition of oppositely charged molecules, were characterised with X-ray reflectometry. The data obtained indicate regular thickness of ion pair layers formed regardless of the number of depositions made as well as the number of ion groups occurring in the molecule. Savitzky-Golay algorithm was used for the calculation of the layer thickness. Formation of self-assembled multilayers (SAMs) occurs not only for polymeric structures but also for small ionic compound systems and results from the electrostatic interaction of many strongly dissipated charges on the whole structure of the molecule. © 2012 Szymon Jasiecki et al.