Fatty acids with different chain structure (isostearic and isooleic acid) were allowed to adsorb on mica from different solvents (hexadecane and ethanol). The friction of the resulting layers was studied with a Surface Forces Apparatus (SFA). Isooleic acid has an unsaturated chain with a methyl group located along the chain. The isostearic acid is a mixture of saturated methyl branched-chain fatty acid isomers. In both systems, the methyl group disrupts close packing of the molecules in the pure substance and when adsorbed on a surface. The results are compared to previous observations for self-assembled surfactant films with different packing densities.

Friction of methyl-branched fatty acids

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