Adsorption of inorganic polyanions along a Langmuir film: a Brewster angle microscopy study

Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) reveals the coexistence of three different phases in a charged Langmuir film. In the vicinity of this triple point, the first experimental evidence of a line-induced solidification is described. This phenomenon, which is the 2D analogue of a surface crystallization, is controlled by the line tension energies of the different interfaces. The presence of small solid nuclei within the monolayer also induces the formation of unusual morphologies such as chain-like structures of liquid domains.