Abstract: Biophysical monomolecular films have received a great deal of attention in materials science, in part due to an increased interest in “soft matter systems” and in part due to a rapid development of novel surface-sensitive characterization techniques, which enable investigations of structural properties of such systems on the molecular level. The life sciences have not utilized these surface-sensitive spectroscopic techniques to the same extent as have the physical sciences, possibly because of the recent emphasis on physiological and molecular biological research in the modern life sciences. In addition, the skills and training needed for modern biological research are often at odds with those needed in the fields of surface science and physical chemistry, the disciplines that have driven the development of the surface-sensitive spectroscopies. Nevertheless, it is becoming progressively more obvious that many important biological processes occur at interfaces (1); as a consequence, there has been a resurgence of interest in the use of monolayer techniques for the investigation of biophysical systems. It is thus very important for the development of the field that both the physiological and physicochemical aspects of thin film analysis are merged in biophysical research.

Abstract: Spectrophotometers for the ultraviolet (UV), visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) regions will be discussed in this chapter. Typically, the UV region is considered to extend from 190 to 350 nm, th...

Abstract: The ability to analyze the composition of the outermost few atomic layers of solid surfaces has been expanded greatly over the past 25–30 years. Two analytical techniques have been in the forefront...

Abstract: Most forms of optical spectroscopy are usually concerned with measurement of the absorption or emission of electromagnetic radiation, the energy of which lies between 10 and 50,000 wavenumbers. Any...