X-ray scattering studies of molecular ordering phenomena in confined films

Abstract

A knowledge of the structural behavior of molecules confined in thin liquid films and the way in which they differ from bulk behavior is of great importance to a variety of technological applications. We discuss X-ray scattering studies of the conformation of liquid polymer wetting layers on laterally structured substrates in order to test theories of the conformality of the wetting layer to the substrate. Recent work on guided X-ray beams confined to the films opens up the possibility of detailed studies of ordering phenomena in molecular layers adjacent to solid surfaces. Recent experiments are discussed.