The structure of percolating lipid monolayers

Abstract

The lattice structure and in plane molecular organization of Langmuir monolayer of amphiphilic material is usually determined from grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) or neutron reflectivity. Here we present results of a different approach for determination of monolayer lattice structure based on application of fractal analysis and percolation theory in combination with Brewster angle microscopy. The considerations of compressibility modulus and fractal dimension dynamics provide information on percolation threshold and consequently by application of percolation theory on the lattice structure of a monolayer. We have applied this approach to determine the monolayer lattice structures of single chain and double chain lipids. The compressibility moduli were determined from measured π-A isotherms and fractal dimensions from corresponding BAM images. The monolayer lattice structures of stearic acid, 1-hexadecanol, DPPC and DPPA, obtained in this way conform to the corresponding lattice structures determined previously by other authors using GIXD.