Surfactant-encapsulated polyoxoanion: Structural characterization of its Langmuir films and Langmuir-Blodgett films

We synthesized a surfactant-encapsulated polyoxoanion, (DODA)(16)As4W30Cu4O112.114H(2)O (denoted SEC-1), which possesses a hydrophobic dimethyl dioctadecylammonium (DODA) shell and an encapsulated hydrophilic polyoxoanion core in organic phases. The novel organic/inorganic composite can form stable Langmuir monolayers, but it is significantly distorted when spread onto an air/water interface although the general core-shell structure seems to remain. Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of SEC-1 are readily prepared by transferring the monolayers onto substrates with a transfer ratio near 1. It has been proposed that there exist well-orientated alkyl chains and highly defined layer structure in LB films. Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy at different temperatures indicates that two obvious phase transitions appear near 34 and 47 degreesC for multilayer LB films of SEC-1. The polyoxoanion can be organized to some extent within LB films with its long axis parallel to the substrate by comparing the IR transmission spectrum with the reflection-absorption spectrum. The one-monolayer LB film of SEC-1 possesses a homogeneous and flat surface morphology, and a water contact angle of 104 +/- 3degrees for odd-layer LB films shows a highly hydrophobic surface.