Study of monomolecular layers of azobenzene derivative by the scanning probe microscopy

In the paper, the study of the surface topography of a monomolecular layer of an azobenzene derivative deposited on a hydrophilic substrate as a function of temperature is proposed. At the temperature of 75 °C, formation of plain needle-shape crystals was observed for 100 min. When stored at room temperature conditions, the crystals spread back on the substrate surface. The typical time of spreading was 10 h. At further heating–cooling cycles, the pattern was repeated. A model is proposed for the explanation of experimental results.