The potential for monolayers to reduce the evaporation of water from large water storages

In the laboratory, molecularly thick films of compounds such as hexadecanol and octadecanol have been shown to retard the evaporation of water. While such monolayers offer the prospect of an economical solution to the evaporative loss of water from storages there are practical difficulties arising mainly from the short lifetimes of these monolayers on the water surface. This review article describes the relevant laboratory experiments and results, and then discusses the problems that have arisen in field applications. It is clear that better monolayer materials are required and that better methods of monolayer distribution would also be helpful. Although no resolution of these difficulties is available at present it is hoped that a better understanding of the problems will stimulate further research.