Attenuated total reflection spectroscopy polarization

Fluctuations in the dielectric properties near the interface lead to scattering of the EW as well as changes in the intensity of the internally reflected wave. Changes in optical absorption can be detected in the internally reflected beam and lead to the well-known technique of attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy (ATR). Changes in the real part of the dielectric function lead to scattering, which is the main topic of this review. Polarization of the incident beam is important. For s polarization (electric field vector perpendicular to the plane defined by the incident and reflected beams or parallel to the interface), there is no electric held component normal to the interface, and the electric field is continuous across the interface. For p polarization (electric field vector parallel to the plane defined by the incident and reflected beams), there is a finite electric field component normal to the interface. In macroscopic electrodynamics this normal component is discontinuous across the interface, and the discontinuity is related to the induced surface charge at the interface. Such discontinuity is unphysical on the molecular scale [4], and the macroscopic formalism may have to be re-examined if it is applied to molecules within a few A of the interface. 

The polymer properties in thin films are then compared with the bulk as measured by FTIR attenuated total reflection spectroscopy (ATR). A modest refractive index of the internal reflection element (IRE made of ZnSe, n=2.43 at 2000 cm ) and an incident angle of 65° - still low but well above the critical angle of total reflection - are chosen for the p-polarized light in order to obtain an information depth of several microns. Hence, the ATR spectra provide the bulk properties of the polymer sample. 

Infrared attenuated total reflection spectroscopy (IR-ATR). This method [10] can be used to study lipid bilayer membranes and peptides associated with them in the dry and in the hydrated states [11, 12]. Position and shape of the IR bands allow the detection of peptide secondary structures their orientation with respect to the lipid molecules can be determined with polarized radiation. Adsorption from and escape into the aqueous surroundings, penetration through the membranes, and exchange can easily be studied. 

The large intrinsic birefringence of the sarcoplasmic reticulum [143] and the polarized attenuated total reflectance FTIR spectroscopy data obtained on oriented films of sarcoplasmic reticulum [144] indicate that a sizeable portion of the secondary structural elements are arranged perpendicularly to the plane of the membrane in a manner reminiscent to the structure of bacteriorhodopsin [145-148]. 

Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT1R), either in the transmission mode(70), the grazing incidence reflection (GI) mode(7,5) or the attenuated total reflection (ATR) mode(7,2), has been the most widely used experimental tool for the characterization and structure determination of SA monolayers. GI-IR is especially useful in determining the molecular orientation in the film structures because it senses only the vibrational component perpendicular to the substrate surface(7,5). Polarized ATR-IR can also be used to study molecular orientation(7,77). McKeigue and Gula-ri(72) have used ATR-IR to quantitatively study the adsorption of the surfactant Aerosol-OT. 

The poly(L-lysine) formed a-helical rods in the multilayers that are aligned along the scratching direction of the substrate. He applied attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) using polarized light for the determination of the orientation within the films. 

For molecular properties of the TAG polymorphs, local molecular structural information such as methyl-end group, olefinic conformation, and chain-chain interaction are unveiled by infrared (IR) spectroscopy, especially Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) (23, 24). Compared with a pioneering work by Chapman (25), great progress has been achieved by using various FT-IR techniques, such as polarized transmission FT-IR, reflection absorption spectroscopy (RAS), and attenuated total reflection (ATR) (26-28). 

The only piece of experimental evidence for the orientation of apoA-I helices on DMPC discoidal complexes has come from the use of polarized attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy (Brasseur et al. (1990 Wald et al., 1990). Although internal reflection spectroscopy is not new (Harrick, 1967), its combination with polarized IR measurements of oriented biological membranes is a more recent application, which allows the spectrum to be taken in the presence of water. The technique has been used most frequently to study the orientation of lipid functional groups relative to the membrane plane in pure lipid bilayers (Fringeli and Gunthard, 1981 Holmgre et al., 1987 Okamura et al., 1990 Hubner and Mantsch, 1991), but has also been applied to studies of... 

Hubner W, Mantsch HH (1991) Orientation of specifically c-13=0 labelled phosphatidylcholine multilayers from polarized attenuated total reflection FT-IR spectroscopy. Biophys J 59 1261... 

Specialized techniques such as attenuated total reflection, polarized IR spectroscopy, etc. are also described by Amey and Chapman (1983). Another technique, which is potentially useful for lipid studies, is the combination of gas chromatography (GC) with Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, so that the column effluents are analysed by an on-line spectrometer. GC/FT-IR is discussed in detail by Erikson (1979). 

Electrochemically modulated infrared spectroscopy (EMIRS), polarization modulation infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS), and attenuated total reflectance (ATR) have also been used. (FTIR-ATR spectra are shown in Chap. 6, Fig. 6.11.)... 

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