Spectral-Selective X-Ray Studies at the “Langmuir” Beamline of the Kurchatov Synchrotron Radiation Source

A brief review of the studies in the field of bioorganic materials science, performed at the “Langmuir” beamline of the Kurchatov Synchrotron Radiation Source (KSRS), is presented. The specificity of the beamline infrastructure is discussed, and the main X-ray optical characteristics of the system are reported. The research potential of the beamline is demonstrated by an example of a series of experiments aimed at studying the mechanisms of damage of the molecular organization of pulmonary surfactant caused by nanoaerosol particles. Particular attention is paid to the experimental implementation of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) for measurements on liquid surfaces. The results of in situ studies of the change in the valence state of cerium ions on the air–liquid interface are reported.