Influence of different factors on the phase transitions of non-ionic Langmuir monolayers

The design and use of Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films involve a thorough knowledge of the behavior of molecules at the interface. Among many factors that affect the properties of films, i.e. the transformation from 2D into 3D phase, the presence of ions in the subphase has to be taken into account. Thus, this paper describes the characteristics of Langmuir monolayers composed by ethyl and methyl ester molecules, spread on water and aqueous solutions containing Na+ and Ca2+. Under different experimental conditions, Brewster angle microscopy (BAM), surface pressure (Π) and stability measurements are applied to investigate the behavior and morphology of systems.