Scanning probe microscopy encompasses family of techniques that enable nanometer scale resolution imaging of surfaces. Two of the most common scanning probe techniques are scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy. An example of an atomic scale image from Professor McCarty's graduate work with Professor Paul Weiss is show below. Weiss is currently the director of California's NanoSystems Institute.

We plan to use this family of techniques to image biological relevant surfaces and entities with extremely high resolution. An AFM image of a cell is shown on the left.

Past Publications on Scanning Probe Microscopy:

1.         Dunbar, T. D. et al. Combined scanning tunneling microscopy and infrared spectroscopic characterization of mixed surface assemblies of linear conjugated guest molecules in host alkanethiolate monolayers on gold. Journal of Physical Chemistry B 104, 4880-4893 (2000).

2.         McCarty, G. S. & Weiss, P. S. Scanning probe studies of single nanostructures. Chemical Reviews 99, 1983-1990 (1999).

3.         McCarty, G. S. & Weiss, P. S. Footprints of a surface chemical reaction: Dissociative chemisorption of p-diiodobenzene on Cu{111}. Journal of Physical Chemistry B 106, 8005-8008 (2002).

4.         McCarty, G. S. & Weiss, P. S. Formation and manipulation of protopolymer chains. Journal of the American Chemical Society 126, 16772-16776 (2004).

5.         Sykes, E. C. H. et al. Substrate-mediated interactions and intermolecular forces between molecules adsorbed on surfaces. Accounts of Chemical Research 36, 945-953 (2003).