Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Quantitative Surface Chirality Detection with Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy: Twin Polarization Angle Approach

Journal Article · · Chinese Journal of Chemical Physics, 22(6):592-600
Here we report a novel twin polarization angle (TPA) approach in the quantitative chirality detection with the surface sum-frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG-VS). Generally, the achiral contribution dominates the surface SFG-VS signal, and the pure chiral signal is usually two or three orders of magnitude smaller. Therefore, it has been difficult to make quantitative detection and analysis of the chiral contributions to the surface SFG- VS signal. In the TPA method, by varying together the polarization angles of the incoming visible light and the sum frequency signal at fixed s or p polarization of the incoming infrared beam, the polarization dependent SFG signal can give not only direct signature of the chiral contribution in the total SFG-VS signal, but also the accurate measurement of the chiral and achiral components in the surface SFG signal. The general description of the TPA method is presented and the experiment test of the TPA approach is also presented for the SFG-VS from the S- and R-limonene chiral liquid surfaces. The most accurate degree of chiral excess values thus obtained for the 2878 cm⁻¹ spectral peak of the S- and R-limonene liquid surfaces are (23.7±0.4)% and ({25.4±1.3)%, respectively.
Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
981289
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-70681; KP1704020
Journal Information:
Chinese Journal of Chemical Physics, 22(6):592-600, Journal Name: Chinese Journal of Chemical Physics, 22(6):592-600 Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 22
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English