Vibrational sum-frequency generation spectroscopy of lipid bilayers at repetition rates up to 100 kHz

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Date
2018
Volume
148
Issue
10
Journal
Series Titel
Book Title
Publisher
Melville, NY : American Institute of Physics
Link to publishers version
Abstract

Broadband vibrational sum-frequency generation (BB-VSFG) spectroscopy has become a well-established surface analytical tool capable of identifying the orientation and structure of molecular layers. A straightforward way to boost the sensitivity of the technique could be to increase the laser repetition rate beyond that of standard BB-VSFG spectrometers, which rely on Ti:sapphire lasers operating at repetition rates of 1-5 kHz. Nevertheless, possible thermally induced artifacts in the vibrational spectra due to higher laser average powers are unexplored. Here, we discuss laser power induced temperature accumulation effects that distort the BB-VSFG spectra of 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine at an interface between two transparent phases at repetition rates of 5, 10, 50, and 100 kHz at constant pulse energy. No heat-induced distortions were found in the spectra, suggesting that the increase in the laser repetition rate provides a feasible route to an improved signal-to-noise ratio or shorter data acquisition times in BB-VSFG spectroscopy for thin films on transparent substrates. The results have implications for future BB-VSFG spectrometers pushing the detection limit for molecular layers with low surface coverage.

Description
Keywords
Data acquisition, Interferometry, Lipid bilayers, Molecular orientation, Sapphire, Signal to noise ratio, Spectrometers
Citation
Yesudas, F., Mero, M., Kneipp, J., & Heiner, Z. (2018). Vibrational sum-frequency generation spectroscopy of lipid bilayers at repetition rates up to 100 kHz. 148(10). https://doi.org//10.1063/1.5016629
Collections
License
CC BY 4.0 Unported