Lipid monolayers were prepared using an LB trough (Biolin Nima) using the Langmuir-Schaefer method. Muscovite mica sheets were freshly cleaved immediately before use using adhesive tape to expose an atomically flat surface, then immersed into the subphase at a controlled rate of 1 mm/s while maintaining a constant dipping angle of 45° to ensure uniform substrate wetting. 25