A soliton phenomenon in langmuir monolayers of amphiphilic bistable rotaxanes.

Surface pressure-area isotherms, light scattering microscopy, and atomic force microscopy have all been used to provide information about the stabilities and dynamics of Langmuir monolayers composed of amphiphilic bistable [2]rotaxane molecules. Superstructures that have the appearance of localized mobile solitons are formed during the compression of monolayers of the [2]rotaxanes below their collapse pressures. Solitons move solely in a linear trajectory in both directions across the film, perpendicular to the compression direction, without any apparent broadening or change in their shape.