Research
New tools enable scientific discoveries
New tools enable scientific discoveries
We develop our own tools for chemical analysis through innovations with atomic force microscope (AFM) and laser spectroscopy, primarily with infrared (IR) light, either narrow band or broadband.
We develop our own tools for chemical analysis through innovations with atomic force microscope (AFM) and laser spectroscopy, primarily with infrared (IR) light, either narrow band or broadband.
AFM-based Infrared Microscopy
AFM-based Infrared Microscopy
While the diffraction limit for IR radiation is at the micrometer scale, the radius of curvature of a metal-coated AFM tip can be consistently at the level of a few tens of nanometers. The optical field between the AFM tip and sample often achieves < 10 nm field confinement— serving as a nanometer size light source to perform nano-spectroscopy and super-resolution chemical imaging.
Tip enhancement can be at ~ 10 nm scale, with a commercially available tip with affordable price.
Mapping of Nanoscale Electrical Properties
Mapping of Nanoscale Electrical Properties
Our group has also made a contribution to the development of new types of Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM), in particular, the Pulsed force KPFM that enable mapping surface potential at ~10 nm spatial resolution under ambient conditions.
