American Institute of Physics, Review of Scientific Instruments, 2(82), p. 023902
DOI: 10.1063/1.3505797
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We describe an apparatus for measuring scattering length density and structure of molecular layers at planar solid–liquid interfaces under high hydrostatic pressure conditions. The device is designed for in situ characterizations utilizing neutron reflectometry in the pressure range 0.1–100 MPa at temperatures between 5 and 60 °C. The pressure cell is constructed such that stratified molecular layers on crystalline substrates of silicon, quartz, or sapphire with a surface area of 28 cm2 can be investigated against noncorrosive liquid phases. The large substrate surface area enables reflectivity to be measured down to 10-5 (without background correction) and thus facilitates determination of the scattering length density profile across the interface as a function of applied load. Our current interest is on the stability of oligolamellar lipid coatings on silicon surfaces against aqueous phases as a function of applied hydrostatic pressure and temperature but the device can also be employed to probe the structure of any other solid–liquid interface.