May. 13, 2011

Tensile Testing of Microstructures

The small size of micro- and nano-structures makes tensile testing challenging. In this study we meet this challenge by combined use of a Focussed Ion Beam (FIB) in Dual Beam configuration, an AFM-cantilever, and a micromanipulator which provide the required accuracy and versatility to measure the mechanical properties of nanowires by tensile testing. AFM cantilevers with a big range of force constants principally enable us to measure the tensile behavior of a great variety of materials. moreMay. 12, 2011

Hyperbaric Atomic Force Microscopy

We report on the development of a Hyperbaric Atomic Force Microscopy (HAFM) imaging system. Initial system performance is provided and cantilever dynamics are investigated. HAFM results of human fibroblasts and rat hippocampal neurons under graded levels of hyperbaric gases (up to 6 atmospheres absolute; ATA) are shown. Hyperbaric AFM provides the capability to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms of pressure-dependent disorders.
moreMay. 04, 2011

Intracellular Localisation of Fluorescently Labelled Nanoparticles

A laser scanning microscope collects information from a thin focal plane, disregarding out-of-focus information. It has become the standard imaging method to characterise cellular morphology and structures, both in static and living samples. Laser scanning microscopy at high resolution combined with digital image restoration is also a powerful tool to analyse intracellular localisation of fluorescently labelled nanoparticles (NPs), such as their colocalisation within membrane-bound compartments (e.g. moreApr. 11, 2011

ESEM in Plant Sciences - Versatile Tool to Study Native & Hydrated Plant Surfaces

ESEM (Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy) enables the investigation of native, hydrated and uncoated plant surfaces without further sample preparation and the in situ observation of dynamic processes at SEM resolution. A selection of representative plant samples and applications will be presented to show that ESEM is a versatile tool in plant science. moreApr. 04, 2011

Live-Cell Super-Resolution with dSTORM

Live-Cell Super-Resolution with dSTORM: A detailed microscopic characterization of cellular structures is important to understand cellular function. Conventional microscopy in some cases is limited by the achievable spatial resolution of about 200 nm in the imaging plane, which is not sufficient to reveal details at the near-molecular level. This is important if the organization of proteins in small organelles, clusters or machineries are studied. 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. more