Microscope at the Brewster angle: Direct observation of first-order phase transitions in monolayers

Hénon, Sylvie; Meunier, Jacques

doi:10.1063/1.1142032

Cited by 821 publications

(458 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…A pair of symmetric movable barriers controls the water surface area available to the polymer, and thus the surface concentration. A homemade Brewster angle microscope ͑BAM͒ of standard design 27,28 images the surface layer. Because the monolayer is unusually thin ͑ϳ0.6 nm compared to տ2 nm͒, the quality of all optical elements and their mounting are critical.…”

Section: A Experimental Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hole dynamics in polymer Langmuir films

et al. 2006

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This article develops a model for the closing of a gaseous hole in a liquid domain within a two-dimensional fluid layer coupled to a Stokesian subfluid substrate, and compares this model to experiments following hole dynamics in a polymer Langmuir monolayer. Closure of such a hole in a fluid layer is driven by the line tension at the hole boundary and the difference in surface pressure within the hole and far outside it. The observed rate of hole closing is close to that predicted by our model using estimates of the line tension obtained by other means, assuming that the surface pressure in the gas is negligible. This result both supports the model and suggests an independent means of determining the line tension. Unlike most previous hydrodynamics models of Langmuir films, the closing of a hole necessarily involves vertical motion of the underlying incompressible fluid. Fluid is dragged along with the liquid monolayer towards the center of the hole, and must plunge away from the surface. An explicit expression is found for this vertical fluid flow in the bulk substrate.

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Section: A Experimental Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hole dynamics in polymer Langmuir films

et al. 2006

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“…Applying equation (1) we obtain an expression for the contrast of the interference fringes (19) ^max ^min…”

Section: Arctan (Im (R)/re (R)) This Theoretical Function Is Shown Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As is well known from freeze fracture electron microscopy the P^ ripple phase exhibits a polygonal surface profile due to orientational defects of the Neel-waal type [17] A unique feature of RICM is that it allows the membrane thickness of vesicles in aqueous Suspension close to a surface to be determined. It is thus distinguished from laterally resolving ellipsometry [18] or Brewster angle microscopy [19,20], which are designed to image the optical density Variation in a lipid monolayer at the air-water or air-solid interface.…”

Section: Firstly We Studied the Ric Pattern Of A Spherical Vesicle Imentioning

confidence: 99%

Imaging optical thicknesses and separation distances of phospholipid vesicles at solid surfaces

1993

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We present the application of reflection interference contrast microscopy (RICM) (1) to map the optical density of supported bilayers and vesicles and (2) to image the contact profile of phospholipid vesicles at surfaces. The resolution in the surface profile is 0.2 μm laterally and 1 nm out of plane. The optical thickness of the membrane can be determined with 0.2 nm accuracy. We outline the theoretical basis of RICM and derive the interference intensities of adhering vesicles from first principles. An analytical expression for the decaying contrast of the intrference fringes is given. The contact contour of vesicles is determined for various substrates. We further demonstrate that deposition of a magnesium fluoride layer on the glass substrate enhances the contrast and allows the optical density of adsorbed membranes to be imaged. By contrast variation of the buffer solution, the layer thicknesses and the indices of refraction can be measured. The novel method was applied to image lipid domains of different chain lengths in a substrate supported monolayer

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“…19,20 Brewster angle microscopy (BAM), a special case of ellipsometry, was independently developed by Meunier et al and Möbius et al as a tool to study monolayers. [21][22][23] Therefore, it is ideally suited for monitoring SP dynamics in monolayers. BAM is based on the fact that p-polarised light is fully refracted if it is incident on a surface at Brewster's angle.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transient absorption spectroscopy on spiropyran monolayers using nanosecond pump—probe Brewster angle reflectometry

Siebenhofer

Gorelik

Lear

et al. 2013

Photochem Photobiol Sci

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Self-assembled monolayers of 11-(3',3'-dimethyl-6,8-dinitrospiro[chromene-2,2'-indoline]-1'-yl) undecanoic acid (amphiphilic spiropyran) at the air-water interface are studied using Brewster angle reflectometry.Transient kinetics of the spiropyran to merocyanine conversion are recorded in a UV-pump, VIS-probe configuration. By varying the probe wavelength using an optical parametric oscillator, we are able to reconstruct absorption spectra of intermediate states with a time-resolution of 10 nanoseconds, limited by the temporal convolution of the two laser pulses. After UV irradiation, spiropyran converts to merocyanine in two stages. The first occurs within a timescale of several tens of nanoseconds and is heavily convoluted with the system response time, whereas the second stage occurs over a few hundred nanoseconds. During the rise time there is a small red shift in the transient absorption spectrum of ∼20 nm. We assign the red shift and the slower kinetics to the isomerization of a merocyanine isomer cis about the central methine bond to those that are trans about the same bond.

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Microscope at the Brewster angle: Direct observation of first-order phase transitions in monolayers

Cited by 821 publications

References 13 publications

Hole dynamics in polymer Langmuir films

Hole dynamics in polymer Langmuir films

Imaging optical thicknesses and separation distances of phospholipid vesicles at solid surfaces

Transient absorption spectroscopy on spiropyran monolayers using nanosecond pump—probe Brewster angle reflectometry

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