pH-modulated molecular assemblies and surface properties of metal-organic supercontainers at the air-water interface.

The orientation of metal-organic supercontainer (MOSC) molecules in Langmuir films was systematically studied at the air-water interface. The acidity of the aqueous subphases plays a significant role in tuning the orientation of MOSC molecules in the Langmuir films. Furthermore, Langmuir-Blodgett films of MOSCs were prepared and the uniform multilayer structures demonstrated various surface properties, depending on their conditions of fabrication. Our use of Langmuir films provides a novel approach to access tunable assemblies of MOSC molecules in two-dimensional thin films.