2D attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy reveals ultrafast vibrational dynamics of organic monolayers at metal-liquid interfaces

We present two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) spectra of organic monolayers immobilized on thin metallic films at the solid liquid interface. The experiments are acquired under Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) conditions which allow a surface-sensitive measurement of spectral diffusion, sample inhomogeneity, and vibrational relaxation of the monolayers. Terminal azide functional groups are used as local probes of the environment and structural dynamics of the samples. Specifically, we investigate the influence of different alkyl chain-lengths on the ultrafast dynamics of the monolayer, revealing a smaller initial inhomogeneity and faster spectral diffusion with increasing chain-length. Furthermore, by varying the environment (i.e., in different solvents or as bare sample), we conclude that the most significant contribution to spectral diffusion stems from intra- and intermolecular dynamics within the monolayer. The obtained results demonstrate that 2D ATR IR spectroscopy is a versatile tool for measuring interfacial dynamics of adsorbed molecules.