Self-organization in nanoscopic poly(alkylthiophene) films on water

Ultra-thin layers (10 - 50nm) of poly(alkyl)thiophenes (PATs) spread on water from diluted chloroform solutions were studied by means of synchrotron radiation. The molecular orientation in the films was obtained using grazing incidence diffraction (GID) and reflectometry, for both doped and pristine samples. Despite alkanes being hydrophobic, the side chains tend to orient perpendicularly to the water subphase. The study reveals the presence of crystalline order with a high degree of preferred orientation. A smectic model for the polymeric layers is in good agreement with the experimental data.