| abstract |
There is provided a process for the production of built up films by the stepwise adsorption of individual monolayers. The process comprises forming a first compact ordered monolayer on a polar solid substrate by adsorption of molecules at a solid fluid interface, and chemically activating the monolayer coated solid in order to introduce polar sites for the anchoring at a further monolayer on the top of the first one, and continuing, if desired, until the desired number of monolayers, one on the other, is obtained. The molecules used are elongated or flattened ones having at one end or side a polar moiety and at the other a non-polar one, which is subsequent to the monolayer formation chemically activated to render it polar and thus adapted to react with another such polar/non polar molecule, and so on. There may also be provided monolayers of such compounds and there may be inserted a desired functional group at the upper surface of the monolayer molecules to obtain a surface with desired surface properties. The non polar group can also be a non terminal one which is subsequently reacted. The multilayer films are of value in a wide range of applications, like ultrathin film components in microelectronics, for the production of artificial membranes, in optical devices, ultrathin photoresists, surface coatings with adhesive properties, molecular films useful in solar energy conversion and any other device where ordered ultrathin monolayer or multilayer films are useful and required. |