Surface Experiments in the Undergraduate Curriculum

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9452127 Lyons We propose to purchase a scanning tunneling microscope (STM)/atomic force microscope (AFM) instrument for use in the undergraduate curriculum. Consistent with the increasing interdisciplinary nature of science, the equipment will be used by both the chemistry and physics departments. Most of the use will be in advanced chemistry and physics courses, but the instrument will be demonstrated and images from the instrument will be presented in introductory chemistry and physics lectures also. Until recently, the high expense and maintenance requirements of surface characterization instruments have put them out of the reach of undergraduate colleges. Improvements in STM/AFM technology have reduced data acquisition and maintenance costs, allowing undergraduates at small colleges to perform experiments on samples under ambient conditions.