Sum Frequency Spectra in the C-H Stretch Region of Adsorbates on Iron

Infrared-visible sum frequency generation (SFG) was used to record vibrational spectra in the C-H stretch region of single monolayer Langmuir-Blodgett films of stearic acid, octadecylamine, and p-octadecylphenyl acetic acid on iron oxide, demonstrating the sensitivity of SFG to about 0.1 monolayer. Within our present signal-to-noise limitations, it was not possible to obtain SFG spectra of the aromatic C-H stretch in p-octadecylphenyl acetic acid or the N-H stretch in octadecylamine. Vibrational spectra in the C-H stretch region have also been obtained for chemically adsorbed monolayers of stearic acid and oleic imidazoline on iron oxide; however an undetermined fraction of these spectra result from hydrocarbon contamination. Finally, an SFG spectrum was obtained at a buried interface, that of p-octadecylphenyl acetic acid on iron oxide under water. The potential of SFG as a surface analytical tool is discussed.