Editing Monolayer (section)

== Types ==

[[File:Surfactant.jpg|thumb|Diagram of ambiphilic molecules floating on a water surface.]]

A '''Langmuir monolayer''' or ''insoluble monolayer'' is a one-molecule thick layer of an insoluble organic material spread onto an [[aqueous]] sub[[phase (matter)|phase]] in a [[Langmuir–Blodgett trough|Langmuir-Blodgett trough]]. Traditional compounds used to prepare [[Langmuir (unit)|Langmuir]] monolayers are [[amphiphilic]] materials that possess a [[hydrophilic]] headgroup and a [[hydrophobic]] tail. Since the 1980s a large number of other materials have been employed to produce Langmuir monolayers, some of which are semi-amphiphilic, including polymeric, ceramic or metallic [[nanoparticle]]s and [[macromolecule]]s such as [[polymer]]s. Langmuir monolayers are extensively studied for the fabrication of [[Langmuir-Blodgett film]] (LB films), which are formed by transferred monolayers on a solid substrate.

A '''[[Josiah Willard Gibbs|Gibbs]] monolayer''' or ''soluble monolayer'' is a monolayer formed by a compound that is soluble in one of the phases separated by the [[interface (chemistry)|interface]] on which the monolayer is formed.