Combined Langmuir-Blodgett and sol-gel coatings

To show some possible advantages of the combination of these techniques additional studies were carried out. Surface morphology of combined coatings (1) was studied by atomic force microscopy. Surfaces with different roughness were developed depending on the thickness of the sol-gel film (titania: ca. 70 nm; silica: ca. 210 nm). The adhesive peel off test revealed improved mechanical stability of combined coatings (2), in comparison to LB films which makes them good candidates for further applications.