Application of the Langmuir−Blodgett Technique to Prepare a Clay−Metal Complex Hybrid Film

A clay−metal complex multilayer film was prepared by the Langmuir−Blodgett technique. A monolayer of an amphiphilic ruthenium(II) complex, [Ru(phen)2(dC18bpy)](ClO4)2 (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, dC18bpy = 4,4‘-dioctadecyl-2,2‘-bipyridyl), was formed on an aqueous suspension of hectorite clay (Li-HT). The monolayer acted as a template for adsorption of a clay particle. A hybrid monolayer of a clay and a metal complex was transferred onto a hydrophilic glass plate to form a Z-type multilayer film. X-ray diffraction, UV−visible and FT-IR absorption spectra, and Brewster angle and atomic force microscopic (AFM) measurements confirmed the formation of an ordered film of [Ru(phen)2(dC18bpy)]2+/hectorite with the layer thickness of 5.4 nm.