The surfaces of ordered films formed from an amphiphilic derivative of 2,5-diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole
by the Langmuir−Blodgett (LB) technique and organic molecular beam deposition (OMBD) were investigated
by the use of near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. For the assignment of
the spectral features of the C, N, and O K-edge absorption spectra, fingerprint spectra of poly(p-phenylene
terephthalamide) (Kevlar), poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(p-phenylene-1,3,4-oxadiazole), and 2,5-di(pentadecyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole, which contain related chemical moieties, were recorded. Ab initio molecular
orbital calculations, performed with explicit treatment of the core hole, are used to support the spectral
interpretations. Angle-resolved NEXAFS spectroscopy at the C, N, and O K-edges suggests a preferentially
upright orientation of the oxadiazole derivative in the outermost layer of the films. X-ray specular reflectivity
data and molecular modeling results suggest a similar interpretation.