Langmuir troughs are key tools in interfacial research and are used for the controlled generation, compression and characterisation of ultra-thin films at the air-water interface. They enable the precise investigation of monolayers and multilayers of organic or biological molecules and, by subsequently transferring these films to solid substrates, structured layers with defined molecular orientation can be produced.
The Langmuir trough KSV 2000 from KSV Instruments available at the institute is specially designed for the production of high-quality organic and biological monolayers and multilayers on solid substrates. The trough has an effective surface area of 530 × 150 mm² with a volume of 0.95 litres and is equipped with a high-resolution film balance that covers a measuring range of 0 to 250 mN/m with a resolution of 4 µN/m. The compression speed is programmable and covers a wide range from 0.01 to 800 mm/min, allowing flexible adaptation to different material specifications. The monolayer is compressed symmetrically, minimising film flow effects and maximising the accuracy and reproducibility of the surface print. Substrates up to a size of 100 × 100 mm can be used for the layer transfer, whereby the deposition speed is between 0.1 and 85 mm/min or 0.2 and 170 mm/min depending on the mode and can be adjusted in fine steps of 0.1 mm/min. The dipper motor is designed as a servo-controlled DC motor and ensures smooth, precise movement during the coating process. In combination with the unlimited number of deposition cycles, this enables the reproducible construction of complex multilayer systems. The actual trough body is made of PTFE (Teflon), a chemically inert material that is characterised by high resistance and easy cleaning, making it ideal for sensitive interface experiments.
Overall, the KSV 2000 is a versatile and precise research instrument that is ideal for demanding work on functional interfaces and thin film systems thanks to its high measuring accuracy, flexible process control and robust design.
