| This thesis examines the general mechanical properties of two-dimensional films at the air/water interface. Four different interfacial systems are examined near the surface of water: an F-actin film, a rigid wall, a free air/water interface, and a monolayer decorated air/water interface. In all of the presented systems, the films are deposited in a Langmuir trough and are compressed and expanded with barriers. These films have biologically significant applications as some of the materials are major components of the cell and also present at the air/lung interface. The results presented show that the Langmuir trough presents a multitude of ways to study materials at the air/water interface, including methods of microrheology. |
