Probing nanoscale domains of J-aggregates deposited on a mica surface

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jp037255u

J-aggregates of 1, 1',3,3'-tetraethyl-5,5',6,6'-tetrachlorobenzimidazolocarbocyanine (TTBC) were deposited on a mica surface and probed by atomic force microscopy operated at tapping mode in air. Optical spectra showed that J-aggregates were formed in aqueous solutions. Atomic force microscopy images revealed that J-aggregates deposited on mica surfaces mainly present single domains with a mean height of 2.00 +/- 0.25 nm and an average diameter of 100 +/- 20 nm. Quantitative analysis of the morphology of images indicated that the single domain of J-aggregates exhibits very uniform height and diameter distributions with polydispersity indices of 1.02 and 1.04, respectively. Based on the results, we propose a two-dimensional nanostructure in which TTBC J-aggregates could be arranged in a monolayer.