Structures and Properties of Monolayer Phases

加州洛杉矶大学的Charles Knobler教授得到了理论和计算化学项目的支持，对有机单层在水中的相行为进行了实验和理论研究。 使用单分子膜和方法，包括布鲁斯特角显微镜，掠入射X射线衍射和扫描力显微镜，PI建议研究滑动摩擦的分子起源和相变的动力学。 单分子膜的崩溃成三维结构也将被调查。 这项工作是与加州大学洛杉矶分校应用数学系和国际团体，包括两个在萨克雷，法国和MPI，戈尔姆，德国合作。单分子膜作为模型系统的更复杂的生物膜，也允许一个研究在两个维度，这是一个易于处理的问题，从理论的角度来看，相变。 这些测量将对液晶、表面吸附原子、液晶聚合物和反铁磁体中的类似现象产生影响。 这项工作有应用的润滑和传感器的问题。

Professor Charles Knobler of the University of California Los Angeles is supported by the Theoretical and Computational Chemistry program to perform experimental and theoretical studies on phase behaviors of organic monolayers on water. Using monolayers and methods including Brewster-angle microscopy, grazing incidence x-ray diffraction and scanning force microscopy, the PI proposes to study the molecular origins of sliding friction and also the kinetics of phase transitions. The collapse of monolayers into three dimensional structures will also be investigated. The work is collaborative with the Applied Mathematics department at UCLA and with international groups including two at Saclay, France and MPI, Golm, Germany. Monolayers serve as model systems for the more complicated biological membranes, and also allow one to study phase transformations in two dimensions, which is a tractable problem from a theoretical standpoint. The measurements will have bearing on similar phenomena in liquid crystals, adsorbed atoms on surfaces, liquid crystalline polymers and antiferromagnets. There are applications of this work to problems in lubrication and sensors.