Perspectives for X-ray reflectometry with laboratory sources applied to the analysis of thin films at the surface of multicomponent liquids

Abstract

The authors present a review of the systematic studies of the structure of macroscopically planar thin films at the air-liquid interface (water, alkali solution and silica hydrosol). A common feature of the considered works is the application of a model-independent approach to the analysis of X-ray reflectometry data, which does not require a priori assumptions about the structure of the object under study. It is shown that the experimental results obtained with the laboratory source in some cases are qualitatively on par with the results of those obtained with the use of synchrotron radiation source. The reproducibility of the effect of spontaneous ordering in films of amphiphilic organic molecules (phospholipids) at the surface of the colloidal solution of silica nanoparticles is demonstrated. The possibility of influencing the kinetics of the in situ formation of a phospholipid film by enriching the liquid substrate with alkali metal ions is also discussed.