Scanning conductance microscopy

Since scanning tunneling microscopy requires flat conducting surfaces, it is not surprising that most of its early application was to study inorganic materials [17, 19, 20, 29-34]. These studies include investigations of catalytic metal surfaces [24, 35-37], silicon and other oxides [21], superconductors [38], gold... 

STM Scanning tunneling microscopy [9, 19, 31] Tunneling current from probe scans a conducting surface Surface structure... 

Guokenberger R, Fleim M, Cevo G, Knapp FI F, Wiegrabe W and Flillebrand A 1994 Scanning tunnelling microscopy of insulators and biological specimens based on lateral conductivity of ultrathin water films Science 266 1538... 

A variety of other techniques have been used to investigate ion transport in conducting polymers. The concentrations of ions in the polymer or the solution phase have been monitored by a variety of in situ and ex situ techniques,8 such as radiotracer studies,188 X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS),189 potentiometry,154 and Rutherford backscatter-ing.190 The probe-beam deflection method, in which changes in the density of the solution close to the polymer surface are monitored, provides valuable data on transient ion transport.191 Rotating-disk voltammetry, using an electroactive probe ion, provides very direct and reliable data, but its utility is very limited.156,19 193 Scanning electrochemical microscopy has also been used.194... 

Since the pioneering work of Rohrer and Binning,77 scanning tunelling microscopy (STM) has been used to image atomic-scale features of electrically conductive surfaces under ultra-high-vacuum but also at atmospheric pressure and in aqueous electrochemical environments. The ability of STM to image chemisorption and surface reconstruction is well... 

Luo K, Shi Z, Varesi J, Majumdar A (1997) Sensor nanofabrication, performance, and conduction mechanisms in scanning thermal microscopy. J Vac Sci Technol B 15 349-360 Majumdar A (1999) Scanning thermal microscopy. Annu Rev Mater Sci 29 505-585 Manghk RM, Wasekar VM, Zhang J (2001) Dynamic and equilibrium surface tension of aqueous surfactant and polymeric solutions. Exp Thermal Fluid Sd 25 55-64... 

This technique can be applied to samples prepared for study by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). When subject to impact by electrons, atoms emit characteristic X-ray line spectra, which are almost completely independent of the physical or chemical state of the specimen (Reed, 1973). To analyse samples, they are prepared as required for SEM, that is they are mounted on an appropriate holder, sputter coated to provide an electrically conductive surface, generally using gold, and then examined under high vacuum. The electron beam is focussed to impinge upon a selected spot on the surface of the specimen and the resulting X-ray spectrum is analysed. 

The experimental tools for this research were chronopotetiometry (galvanostatic cycling),25 atomic force microscopy (AFM),26,27 scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD).21,25 It should be mentioned that the AFM imaging was conducted in-situ under potential control and in a special homemade glove box filled with highly pure argon atmosphere. This system has been already described in detail in the literature.28... 

In 1994, we reported the dispersion polymerization of MM A in supercritical C02 [103]. This work represents the first successful dispersion polymerization of a lipophilic monomer in a supercritical fluid continuous phase. In these experiments, we took advantage of the amphiphilic nature of the homopolymer PFOA to effect the polymerization of MMA to high conversions (>90%) and high degrees of polymerization (> 3000) in supercritical C02. These polymerizations were conducted in C02 at 65 °C and 207 bar, and AIBN or a fluorinated derivative of AIBN were employed as the initiators. The results from the AIBN initiated polymerizations are shown in Table 3. The spherical polymer particles which resulted from these dispersion polymerizations were isolated by simply venting the C02 from the reaction mixture. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the product consisted of spheres in the pm size range with a narrow particle size distribution (see Fig. 7). In contrast, reactions which were performed in the absence of PFOA resulted in relatively low conversion and molar masses. Moreover, the polymer which resulted from these precipitation... 

Haiss W, Albrecht T, van Zalinge H, Higgins SJ, Bethell D, Hobenreich H, Schiffrin D J, Nichols RJ, Kuznetsov AM, Zhang J, Chi Q, Ulstrup J (2007) Single-molecule conductance of redox molecules in electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy. J Phys Chem Bill 6703-6712... 

Mujica V, Kemp M, Ratner M (1994) Electron conduction in molecular wires. H Application to scanning tunneling microscopy. J Chem Phys 101 6856... 

The pH, EC and Fe3+ were used as control parameters. The first two were measured with an Orion probe combined pH/ATC electrode Triode and a conductivity cell DuraProbe ref. 0133030. Fe3+ was determined by molecular absorption (thiocyanate method). Mineralogical composition of the precipitates was determined by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). Scanning electron microscopy, combined with an energy dispersive system (SEM-EDS), allowed the observation of morphological and compositional aspects of the precipitates. 

LuskinsPB, OatesT. Single molecule high-resolution structure and electron conduction of photosystem II from scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. Bio-chem Biophys Acta 1998 1409 1-11. 

---