| Abstract: | Optical second-harmonic generation from surfaces has recently proven to be a very effective and versatile probe for surface studies. It allows, among other things, direct probing of molecular adsorption on a solid substrate from a liquid. In this paper we review the most important features of this new technique. We discuss the possibility of applying it to the study of adsorption of ionic surfactants at solid–liquid interfaces, commonly used in a great number of scientific and technological fields including industrial applications. Moreover, we describe the preliminary results of an experiment currently in progress. |
