Scanning tunneling microscopy surface plasmons

A number of methods are available for the characterization and examination of SAMs as well as for the observation of the reactions with the immobilized biomolecules. Only some of these methods are mentioned briefly here. These include surface plasmon resonance (SPR) [46], quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) [47,48], ellipsometry [12,49], contact angle measurement [50], infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) [51,52], Raman spectroscopy [53], scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) [54], atomic force microscopy (AFM) [55,56], sum frequency spectroscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) [57, 58], surface acoustic wave and acoustic plate mode devices, confocal imaging and optical microscopy, low-angle X-ray reflectometry, electrochemical methods [59] and Raster electron microscopy [60]. 

Brinen, J.S., Rosati, I,., Chakel, J. and Lindley, P. (1993) The effect of polymer architecture on the SIMS spectra of glvcolide / trimethylene carbonate copolymers. Surface and Interface. Analysis, 20, 105.5-1060. Burnham,. kA. and Colton, R.J. (1993) Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Specuoscopy Theory, Techniques and Applications. Force microscopy, ed. Bonnell D.A., New York, VCl I Publishers Inc. Chen, X., Shakesheff, KM., Davies, M.C., Heller, J., Roberts, C.J., Tendler, S.J.B, and Williams, P.M. (1995) The degradation of a thin polymer film studied by simultaneous in situ atomic force microscopy and surface plasmon resonance analysis. Journal of Physical Chemistry, 11, 2547. 

In the first part of the chapter several methods used to observe morphology of polymer blends are presented. Various optical microscopic methods are reviewed, including such modem techniques as photon tunneling microscopy (PTM), scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM), phase measurement interference microscopy (PMIM), surface plasmon microscopy (SPM) and optical waveguide microscopy (OWM). Many of these methods have been developed to study surfaces and thin films. However, they can also be applied to polymer blend morphology. 

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