Template Synthesis of Two-Dimensional Network of Cross-Linked Acrylate Polymer in a Cast Multibilayer Film

Cast multibilayer films were prepared from aqueous dispersions of a double-chain ammonium amphiphile and a bisacrylate monomer. X-ray diffraction and the structure simulation by electron density matching showed that the lamellar molecular packing in a single-component cast film was modified upon addition of the monomer so that the monomer can be incorporated uniformly into the void near the bilayer surface. The depth profile of the element distribution as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was consistent with this supposition. UV irradiation of the composite cast film produced an extensively cross-linked polymer without detectable structural changes of the template film. Extraction of the amphiphile component with methanol left behind a multilayered film of the two-dimensional polymer network. Solvent swelling and some mechanical properties reflected the characteristic structural anisotropy. It is concluded that cast multibilayer films provide superior templates for preparation of two-dimensional network structures of molecular thickness.