Langmuir-Blodgett layers of metal complexes of 4,4´-bis-(1-butylpentyl)-[2,2´]bipyridinyl-6,6´-diamine

The amphiphilic ligand 4,4´-bis-(1-butyl-pentyl)-[2,2']bipyridinyl-6,6´-diamine (BBPBPDA) was synthesized by the Chichibabin reaction. It formed stable monolayers on the water surface which could be transferred onto solid substrates to construct Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) multilayers. The experimental data obtained by monolayer investigations on the water surface and X-ray investigations on multilayers were compared with the results of molecular modeling. In the presence of transition metal ions, BBPBPDA formed metal complexes with 1:1 stoichiometry. Here, the investigations were focused on complex formation with Cu²⁺ and the construction of LB multilayers thereof. This was possible by transferring a monolayer of the copper complex formed by an interfacial reaction of the ligand monolayer on an aqueous subphase with dissolved Cu²⁺ ions to solid substrates as well as by exposing an uncomplexed ligand LB layer to a copper ion containing solution.