posted on 2007-08-21, 00:00authored byNaoko Miyashita, Helmuth Möhwald, Dirk G. Kurth
We investigate the self-assembly of oleamide (9-octadecenamide) on graphite by atomic force
microscopy (AFM). The molecules, spin-coated from a dilute solution, form a lamellar monolayer due
to epitaxial adsorption on the surface. In the monolayer, a small tilt angle boundary is observed indicating
a degeneracy in the molecular positioning. The molecular domains preserve their epitaxy to the substrate
as the film thickness increases from monolayer to multilayer. Thermal annealing causes changes in the
film morphology. Heating the multilayer up to 75 °C results in the formation of large rods, and above
90 °C, large, highly ordered, smooth islands are observed.