We present a high-resolution approach to broadband sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (HR-BB-SFG-VS) that is used in combination with various input/output polarization combinations for the molecular level analysis of complex interfaces. In comparison to its lower resolution variants, the improved resolving power and excellent spectral lineshapes obtained with HR-BB-SFG-VS allow for the clear determination of fine spectral features and their spectroscopic phase relationship which are traced back to well-defined conformational differences at the interface. In this way, ambiguities often encountered in the spectral fitting and assignment of congested regions can be greatly diminished, unambiguously revealing new structural and interaction details. Such development has direct implications for the quantitative study of biological and technologically relevant interfaces. Examples for several self-assembled monolayers on metallic surfaces and at the air/water interface will be explicitly discussed.

Towards resolving structural heterogeneity and molecular interactions at complex interfaces: What can we learn from high-resolution SFG spectroscopy?

244th National Meeting (2012)

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