Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Multiscale Structures Aggregated by Imprinted Nanofibers for Functional Surfaces
Published on: September 11, 2018
Unifying interfacial self-assembly and surface freezing
B M Ocko1, H Hlaing, P N Jepsen
1Condensed Matter Physics & Materials Sciences Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, USA. ocko@bnl.gov
Abstract:
X-ray investigations reveal that the monolayers formed at the bulk alkanol-sapphire interface are densely packed with the surface-normal molecules hydrogen bound to the sapphire. About 30-35 °C above the bulk, these monolayers both melt reversibly and partially desorb. This system exhibits balanced intermolecular and molecule-substrate interactions which are intermediate between self-assembled and surface-frozen monolayers, each dominated by one interaction. The phase behavior is rationalized within a thermodynamic model comprising interfacial interactions, elasticity, and entropic effects. Separating the substrate from the melt leaves the monolayer structurally intact.
Related Concept Videos
Surface Tension
Theories of Dissolution: The Danckwerts' Model and Interfacial Barrier Model
Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing
Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity
The various IMFs between identical molecules of a substance are examples of cohesive forces. The molecules within a liquid are surrounded by other molecules and are attracted equally in all directions by the cohesive forces within the liquid. However, the molecules on the surface of a liquid are attracted only by about one-half as many molecules. Because of the unbalanced molecular attractions on the surface molecules, liquids contract to form a shape that minimizes the number...
SNAREs and Membrane Fusion
SNAREs exist in pairs that symmetrically interact and catalyze the fusion of the lipid bilayers in vesicle and target organelle. v-SNARE in the vesicle membrane are single polypeptide chains that bind to a complementary t-SNARE, composed of 2...
Mechanisms of Membrane Domain Formation
Another mechanism for membrane domain formation involves membrane proteins interacting with cytoskeletal...

