Jul. 05, 2011

Synchrotron X-rays from a Tabletop - Highly Energetic, Bright and Spatially Coherent

Since their discovery in 1896 [1], x-rays have fundamentally revolutionized science, medicine and technology. Each successive generation of x-ray machines has opened up new frontiers in science, such as the first radiographs and the determination of the structure of DNA. State-of-the-art x-ray sources, such as synchrotrons, can now produce coherent high-brightness beams of x-rays with energies greater than kiloelectronvolt, which promise a new revolution in imaging complex systems on the nanometer and femtosecond scale. moreJan. 21, 2011

Looking Inside Molecules

Molecular hydrogen (H2) or deuterium (D2) condensed in a low-temperature STM results in a new type of imaging resolution - scanning tunneling hydrogen microscopy (STHM). The microscope operated in the STHM regime images the inner structure of large organic flat lying molecules as well as intermolecular interactions in organic monolayer films.
moreJan. 13, 2011

Domains In Thin Organic Films Studied by Polarized SNOM Investigations

We present a SNOM-study of highly-crystalline organic films of an oligomeric polyquater-thiophene (PQT-12). The crystalline structure influences the suitability of films for applications as charge transport in devices as e.g. OFETs. moreJan. 11, 2011

Geometric Effects in the Field Emission of Surfaces with Factional Dimension

The study of effective cold sources of high intensity electron beam couplings is one of actual problems of modern vacuum micro and nanoelectronics. As far as it is known, the difficulties for determining significant absolute values for the field emission current are connected to extremely small values of the effective emission area, which is very small compared with the macroscopic area of a cathode substrate [1]. With the scale properties related to real surfaces, it is possible to simulate the enhancement of the effective area at low anode voltages. moreJan. 10, 2011

Demonstration of Carbon Nano-Onions Functionalization with Biomolecules by AFM and FT-IR Studies

Small (5-6 nm) oxidized Carbon Nano-Onions (ox-CNOs) can be functionalized with biomolecules due to their good dispersion and relative high reactivity. MTS test on skin fibroblasts proved that CNOs are non-cytotoxic [1]. Therefore, biosensors based on CNOs were fabricated. Covalent binding between sensor layers were possible after functionalization CNOs with carboxylic groups (ox-CNOs) by chemical oxidation using method applied by Lieber et al. [2]. Oxidized CNOs become soluble in an aqueous solution. moreDec. 27, 2010

Quantitative Microscopy without Lenses

Minimisation of the geometric restrictions and image infidelities imposed by imperfect physical focussing devices has been the subject of microscopy research for many decades, as has the development of ways to recover information-rich phase data lost by detectors that are sensitive only to illumination intensity. moreDec. 21, 2010

Towards Automated AFM-based Nanohandling of DNA, SAMs and CNTs

Besides its ability of high resolution imaging, the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) has been recognized as a valuable instrument for manipulation at the nanoscale. The characterization and manipulation of Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) and DNA or the prototypical surface structuring of sensitive elements for biosensors are main applications for AFM-based nanohandling. The relatively low throughput induced by the sequential character of the AFM is one of the major drawbacks that arise, if the AFM is used as a robot for nanomanipulation. moreDec. 20, 2010

Index Tailored Optical Fibers for Plasmon Enhanced Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy and ...

Scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) and spectroscopy allow sub-wavelength spatial resolution for gathering a diversity of information typical for optical spectroscopy, e.g. Raman, infrared absorption, and dielectric dispersion. Applications range from fundamental and bio-medical science over material characterization to investigations of fully-functional devices, all on the nanometer length scale. more