Revealing structural properties of the marine nanolayer from vibrational sum frequency generation spectra

Abstract

Natural nanolayers originating from sea surface and subsurface water samples collected in the Baltic Sea have been investigated using surface-sensitive vibrational sum frequency generation (VSFG) spectroscopy. Distinct spectral signatures of CH and OH bond stretch vibrations have been detected at wavenumbers ranging from 2700 to 3900 cm(-1). Measured water-air interface spectra as well as observed signal intensity trends are discussed in terms of composition and structure of the natural organic nanolayer. Reasoning was based on the comparison with reference spectra, spectral trends inferred from previous VSFG studies, reported average composition of dissolved organic matter in seawater, and simplified assumption that surfactants can be classified as soluble (wet) and insoluble (dry) surfactants. Wet surfactants have been found to be dominant, and often lipid-like compounds form a very dense surfactant nanolayer. Supported by comparison spectra of xanthan gum solutions, the observed VSFG spectral signatures were tentatively assigned to lipopolysaccharides or other lipid-like compounds embedded in colloidal matrices of polymeric material. In addition, VSFG spectra of a polluted harbor water sample and a water sample covered with diesel oil are reported.