In-situ study of molecular dynamics in a water environment by using imaging ellipsometry

Soon Yong Hwang, Tae Jung Kim, Mangesh S Diware and Young Dong Kim

Abstract

We report on the dynamics of bio molecules and a high polymer in a water environment by using imaging ellipsometry (IE). The morphology of collapsed films of arachidic acid (AA) and poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) Langmuir monolayers in a liquid solution is investigated. The IE images clearly show that the multilayer domains and thickness of the collapsed region change sensitively depending on Langmuir compression. Also, the adsorption of bovine serum albumin is observed by using total internal reflection resonance IE (TIRIE), which has the advantage of IE and surface plasmon resonance. We believe that IE is a powerful technique for analysis and applications of bio materials