Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-7-2005

Abstract

We have studied the molecular structure of liquid alkanes confined between a flexible elastomeric poly(dimethyl siloxane) lens and a rigid sapphire substrate using surface-sensitive infrared-visible sum frequency generation spectroscopy. The reduction in the gauche defects suggests ordering of liquid alkanes under confinement. The cooling of confined liquid below the freezing temperature leads to crystallization with alkane molecules lying on the substrate with the symmetry axis parallel to the surface normal. This structure is very different from the bulk alkane crystals next to sapphire or air interfaces.

Publication Title

Physical Review Letters

Volume

95

Issue

15

Required Publisher's Statement

Copyright 2005 American Physical Society. The original published version of this article may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.154301.

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