Atomic tritium as a surface nanoprobe in a structural investigation of molecular assemblies

Possibilities of atomic tritium application as surface nanoprobe for structural investigations of adsorption layers on the liquid–air interface have been demonstrated. Frozen aqueous solutions of a series of amino acids and their mixtures and one well-known surface-active substance (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB) were exposed to bombardment by tritium atoms generated on hot tungsten wire in a special vacuum device. This procedure resulted in substitution of hydrogen atoms by radioactive tritium in the thin surface layer of investigated samples. Curves of radioactivity changes depending on bombardment time and solution concentration for applied compounds were obtained and analyzed.