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Getting Close with the Instructional Scanning Tunneling Microscope
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Abstract
Scanning Tunneling Electron Microscopy (STEM) is a powerful technique that provides magnification of conducting surfaces to the atomic level. My recent experience as a member of a group of twenty teachers selected to work for eight summer weeks with scientists at Xerox Corporation and professors at the University of Rochester has opened new vistas for me and my high school students. We learned to use the Burleigh Instructional Scanning Tunneling Microscope (ISTM), an instrument designed for educational use by the University of Rochester, Xerox Corporation, and Burleigh Instrument Inc. While the images we can produce are not of the same quality as are often seen in the research literature, care in making a sharp, uncontaminated scanning tip and data collection in a vibration-free area, can result in pictures that are more than adequate for the introduction of "atomic eyes" to my classroom.
The ISTM is useful in the study of the effect of acids and bases on metals and the surfaces of semiconductors (some experiments are described below). Cutting the platinum-iridium tip or preparing the tungsten tip and mounting the sample are hands-on activities that give students a glimpse of the technological nanoworld. This state-of-the-art instrumentation is making it possible for students to actually view atoms in their own classroom. What is truly amazing, however, is that the ISTM can be set up and atomic resolution images obtained in about an hour.
Keywords (Audience):
High School / Introductory ChemistryKeywords (Feature):
Secondary School ChemistryKeywords (Pedagogy):
Computer-Based LearningKeywords (Subject):
Instrumental MethodsCiting Articles
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This article has been cited by 12 ACS Journal articles (5 most recent appear below).
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"We Actually Saw Atoms with Our Own Eyes". Conceptions and Convictions in Using the Scanning Tunneling Microscope in Junior High School
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Hannah Margel , Bat-Sheva Eylon and Zahava ScherzJournal of Chemical Education2004 81 (4), 558A new avenue of teaching the structure of materials is possible as a result of the development of high-resolution microscopes such as the scanning tunneling microscope (STM), which enables inspection of materials at atomic-level resolution. The purpose of ...
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David Pullman and Karen I. PetersonJournal of Chemical Education2004 81 (4), 549A laboratory experiment is presented that uses a scanning tunneling microscope to probe intermolecular interactions. In the first part of the project, the students produce and analyze images of graphite and use these images to calibrate the scan size of ...
Atomic Scale Imaging: A Hands-On Scanning Probe Microscopy Laboratory for Undergraduates
Chuan-Jian Zhong , Li Han , Mathew M. Maye , Jin Luo , Nancy N. Kariuki and Wayne E. Jones Jr.Journal of Chemical Education2003 80 (2), 194Atomic Scale Imaging: A Hands-On Scanning Probe Microscopy Laboratory for Undergraduates
Chuan-Jian Zhong , Li Han , Mathew M. Maye , Jin Luo , Nancy N. Kariuki and Wayne E. Jones Jr.Journal of Chemical Education2003 80 (2), 194A new hands-on laboratory experiment using a scanning probe microscope is described for an advanced undergraduate course. The laboratory involves a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) with an emphasis on ...
Visualizing Atoms, Molecules and Surfaces by Scanning Probe Microscopy
Kimberly Aumann , Karen J. C. Muyskens and Kumar SinniahJournal of Chemical Education2003 80 (2), 187Visualizing Atoms, Molecules and Surfaces by Scanning Probe Microscopy
Kimberly Aumann , Karen J. C. Muyskens and Kumar SinniahJournal of Chemical Education2003 80 (2), 187In this paper we describe several examples of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) experiments that we have carried out during a three-week undergraduate introductory course during our January interim term and as independent undergraduate research projects. ...
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- Received: August 03, 2009
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