Non-destructive reference-free grazing incidence X-ray fluorescence (RF-GIXRF) is proposed as a highly effective analytical technique for extracting molecular arrangement density in self-assembled monolayers. The establishment of surface density standards through RF-GIXRF impacts various applications, from calibrating laboratory XRF setups to expanding its applicability in materials science, particularly in surface coating scenarios with molecular assemblies. Accurate determination of coverage density is crucial for proper functionalization and interaction, such as in assessing the surface concentration of probes on plasmonic nanostructures. However, limited synchrotron radiation access hinders widespread use, prompting the need for molecular surface density standards, especially for benchmarking substrates for surface-enhanced Raman and infrared absorption spectroscopies (SERS and SEIRA) as well as associated surface-enhanced techniques. Using reproducible densities on gold ensures a solid evaluation of the number of molecules contributing to enhanced signals, facilitating comparability across substrates. The research discusses the importance of employing molecular surface density standards for advancing the field of surface-enhanced spectroscopies, encouraging collaborative efforts in protocol development and benchmarking in surface science.

中文翻译：

---

采用无参考 GIXRF 的分子表面覆盖标准，支持 SERS 和 SEIRA 基底基准测试


无损无参考掠入射 X 射线荧光 (RF-GIXRF) 被提出作为一种高效的分析技术，用于提取自组装单层中的分子排列密度。通过 RF-GIXRF 建立表面密度标准会影响各种应用，从校准实验室 XRF 设置到扩展其在材料科学中的适用性，特别是在分子组装的表面涂层场景中。准确确定覆盖密度对于正确的功能化和相互作用至关重要，例如评估等离子体纳米结构上探针的表面浓度。然而，有限的同步加速器辐射通道阻碍了广泛使用，促使需要分子表面密度标准，特别是表面增强拉曼和红外吸收光谱（SERS 和 SEIRA）以及相关表面增强技术的基准基底。在金上使用可重复的密度可确保对有助于增强信号的分子数量进行可靠的评估，从而促进不同基质之间的可比性。该研究讨论了采用分子表面密度标准对于推进表面增强光谱领域的重要性，鼓励在表面科学的协议开发和基准测试方面的合作努力。