Brewster angle optical reflection observation of self-limiting nanoparticle monolayer self-assembly at a liquid/liquid interface

Real-time optical reflection of incident p-polarized light near Brewster’s angle shows that after drop-casting iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) in heptane on top of a diethylene glycol (DEG) liquid substrate, an iron oxide NP layer forms at the DEG/heptane interface, and it self-limits to a monolayer even when there are excess NPs dispersed in the upper heptane phase. Most modes of NP self-assembly do not self-limit growth after the formation of a single monolayer. Observations are compared to a reflection model incorporating the reflectances expected at each interface. An effective medium model of the dielectric constant is used to model the reflectance of the NP layer at the DEG/heptane interface.