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Science 21 January 2000:
Vol. 287. no. 5452, pp. 468 - 470
DOI: 10.1126/science.287.5452.468
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Reports

Detection of Molecular Alignment in Confined Films

F. Eisert, M. Gurka, A. Legant, M. Buck, * M. Grunze

Optical second harmonic generation was used to study the in-plane alignment of self-assembled silane monolayers attached to a glass surface under mechanical loading. The measurements allow correlation of the macroscopic forces acting on the monolayer with the average orientation and the azimuthal molecular alignment of the terminal molecular entity. Compression and shear forces lead to an alignment of the initially randomly oriented molecules on a macroscopic length scale. The change in azimuthal alignment of molecules under mechanical stress was found to be irreversible on the time scale of 12 hours, whereas changes of the molecular tilt angle were reversible.

Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Physikalische Chemie, Im Neuenheimer Feld 253, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E- mail: cv6{at}ix.urz.uni-heidelberg.de

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)