MRI: Acquisition of an Ultrahigh Vacuum Atomic Force Microscopy Apparatus

在主要研究仪器(MRI)计划的支持下，密尔沃基威斯康星大学化学系的Wilfred Tysoe和Dennis W.Bennett将获得一台超高真空原子力显微镜(AFM)。该仪器将主要用于两个项目：a)测量薄膜的摩擦性能，使纳米摩擦学测量能够与实际接触几何形状的特性相关联；b)研究芳基异氰酸酯的连接低聚物的电学性能，以确定其作为分子导线的潜力。其他项目包括MOS器件的栅绝缘体研究和单分子荧光研究。化学是一门在分子水平上研究结构和过程的科学。在过去，化学家们学会通过执行集体光谱学来检查和阐明分子事件，即测量溶液或固态实验的平均性质。包括原子力显微镜在内的现代技术允许在小得多的范围内进行测量。原子力显微镜可以直接观察和理解化学和生物过程中发生的分子事件，使微观结构与宏观性质相关联，并允许设计具有纳米特征的材料。这些研究将在多个领域产生影响，包括表面和材料科学。

With support from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program, Wilfred Tysoe and Dennis W. Bennett in the Chemistry Department at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee will acquire an ultrahigh vacuum atomic force microscope (AFM). The instrument will be used primarily for two projects: a) the measurement of frictional properties of thin films that will allow nano-tribological measurements to be related to the properties of realistic contact geometries; b) investigations on the electrical properties of linked oligomers of aryl isocyanides to determine their potential as molecular wires. Other projects include studies on gate insulators for MOS devices and single-molecule fluorescence studies. Chemistry is a scientific discipline that studies structure and processes at the molecular scale. In the past, chemists learned to examine and elucidate molecular events by performing collective spectroscopy, that is, measuring average properties from solution or solid-state experiments. Modern techniques, including AFM, allow measurements on a much smaller scale. AFM allows the direct observation and understanding of molecular events occurring in chemical and biological processes, enables the correlation of microscopic structures to macroscopic properties, and permits the design of materials with nanoscopic features. These studies will have an impact in a number of areas, including surface and materials science.