Scanning Probe Microscopy development and applications for time resolved structure-function studies

扫描探针显微镜的开发和时间分辨结构功能研究的应用

• 批准号: RGPIN-2021-02666
• 负责人: Grutter, Peter
• 金额: $ 4.44万
• 依托单位: McGill University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=742145
• 关键词: Scanning; Probe; Microscopy; development; applications

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an ideal experimental platform for nanoscience and nanotechnology. It allows the imaging, manipulation and characterization of individual nanometer sized objects. In the past five years the focus of my research was on developing methods to measure the electronic properties of nanoscale systems. A particular aim was to develop time resolved measurement capabilities. We have succeeded in advancing AFM techniques to allow the determination of properties via spatially and time resolved AFM spectroscopy methods using electrostatic tip-sample interactions. We achieved the fastest ever reported time resolution by resolving a 100fs non-linear optical signal by AFM. A further major achievement was the measurement of the electron transfer process on a single molecule by AFM, allowing us to determine electron-phonon coupling, molecular vibration and reorganization energies. In the next 5 years the goal of my research program is to build on some of the recently achieved experimental breakthroughs and gain a fundamental understanding of the structure-function relation of nanoscale systems. Materials to be investigated have a long term potential for renewable energy generation, information storage or quantum information processing. A particular focus will be to investigate the role of defects and disorder on the dynamics of the process of interest. This research program provides a rich, interdisciplinary and world-class environment for the training of highly qualified personnel, develops new instrumentation and methods, addresses fundamental questions and has major application potential. Specifically, we plan to use our cryogenic AFM to characterize the charging and coupling energies of individual dopant atoms in silicon, relevant in quantum information. These efforts will be in collaboration with Prof. N. Curson at University College London. Similarly, we will investigate electron transfer in proteins to understand the detailed structure-function relation in biological charge funnel systems to elucidate general principles as input to biomimetic efforts to engineer efficient hydrogen and electricity generating materials. For this, we will collaborate with world-class theorists Profs. H. Guo and K. Bevan. We will develop spatially resolved non-linear optical measurements using AFM as a detector to investigate light-matter interactions, specifically in organic and 2 dimensional systems. We want to understand how size, order and defects in these systems determines conductivity and opto-electronic properties. By pumping the sample with 100 fs optical pulses we will generate excitons and ultimately free charges. The properties of these will be characterized by AFM with nanometer spatial and ultrafast time resolution using pump-probe and non-linear optics methods. Achieving this will open a wide new field of inquiry: studying the properties of individual structures in contrast to ensemble averaging.

原子力显微镜（AFM）是纳米科学和纳米技术的理想实验平台。它允许对单个纳米尺寸的物体进行成像、操作和表征。在过去的五年里，我的研究重点是开发测量纳米系统电子特性的方法。一个特别的目标是发展时间分辨测量能力。我们已经成功地推进AFM技术，允许通过空间和时间分辨AFM光谱方法使用静电针尖样品相互作用的属性的确定。我们通过原子力显微镜解析100 fs非线性光信号，实现了有史以来最快的时间分辨率。另一个主要成就是通过AFM测量单个分子上的电子转移过程，使我们能够确定电子-声子耦合，分子振动和重组能量。 在接下来的5年里，我的研究计划的目标是建立在一些最近取得的实验突破，并获得纳米系统的结构-功能关系的基本理解。待研究的材料具有可再生能源发电、信息存储或量子信息处理的长期潜力。一个特别的重点将是研究缺陷和无序对感兴趣的过程的动力学的作用。该研究计划为高素质人才的培训提供了丰富的，跨学科的和世界一流的环境，开发了新的仪器和方法，解决了基本问题，并具有重大的应用潜力。具体来说，我们计划使用我们的低温AFM来表征硅中单个掺杂剂原子的充电和耦合能量，与量子信息相关。这些工作将与N. Curson在伦敦大学学院。同样，我们将研究蛋白质中的电子转移，以了解生物电荷漏斗系统中详细的结构-功能关系，以阐明仿生努力的一般原理，以设计高效的氢和发电材料。为此，我们将与世界级的理论家教授合作。H. Guo和K.贝文 我们将开发空间分辨的非线性光学测量使用原子力显微镜作为探测器，以调查光物质的相互作用，特别是在有机和2维系统。我们希望了解这些系统中的大小、顺序和缺陷如何决定电导率和光电特性。通过用100 fs光脉冲泵浦样品，我们将产生激子并最终产生自由电荷。这些性质将其特征在于原子力显微镜与纳米空间和超快时间分辨率使用泵浦探测和非线性光学方法。实现这一点将打开一个广阔的新领域的调查：研究个别结构的属性，而不是合奏平均。