Application of transmission ellipsometry to the determination of CD spectra of porphyrin J-aggregates solid-state samples

Transmission-mode perpendicular incidence phase modulated ellipsometry was applied to study anisotropic thin films of porphyrin J-aggregates. A customized data acquisition system and measurement method was implemented to measure seven Mueller matrix elements, which allow us to determine the circular birefringence and dichroism as well as the linear birefringence and dichroism of solid-state films. The examples shown illustrate the performance of the method for obtaining the true circular dichroism and consequently for detecting structural differences in chiral aggregates. (C) 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.