Organized Organic Ultrathin Films

Organic ultrathin films are ubiquitous in the biological world and are familiar to us in our daily lives (e.g. soap bubbles). Such films are usually prepared by dry processes, for example, vapor deposition. However, thin films composed of complicated organic molecules and biomaterials cannot easily be fabricated using such techniques. Wet processes on the other hand have proved both suitable and versatile in this respect, and thus films with higher functionality for advanced technologies are now becoming widely accessible. This book covers the fundamentals and practical techniques of organized organic ultrathin films prepared by wet processes. Most of the film structures selected for inclusion in the book are important in biotechnology. The categories of films covered include monomolecular films (monolayers) both on a water surface and on a solid plate, Langmuir-Blodgett films (transferred multilayer films on a solid plate from a water surface), layer-by-layer films (adsorbed multilayer films on a solid support), and spontaneously assembled films in solution. The book is the first comprehensive monograph on organized organic ultrathin films that spans both basic knowledge and recent developments in the research field. It serves as a handy reference book for researchers at the forefront of R&D in both traditional surface science and applied nanotechnology.