ABSTRACT
This chapter describes preparation of Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films and provides details of the enormous range of organic molecules which can be processed using the LB technique. It attempts to survey the most exciting LB film research areas in progress at the time of writing. The principal concept behind the production of an LB film is the transfer of a monomolecular film floating on a liquid subphase onto a solid substrate. The preparation of insoluble monolayers at the air-water interface is itself a subject of intense fundamental interest, and, indeed, many physical, chemical, and biological experiments have been directed at floating films. There are two principal ways in which preparation can be achieved, namely, vertical and horizontal deposition. There are several electrical phenomena which occur only in molecular assemblies which are noncentrosymmetric. Piezoelectric charge is produced if the polar LB film is stressed, and pyroelectric charge is generated when the temperature of the active LB film is altered.
