Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy of the Liquid-Solid Interface

摘要

The liquid-solid interface is important not only for science, but also for technology. Scanning tunnel microscopes (STM's) and atomic force microscopes (AFM's) can image and even manipulate solids covered with liquids. An image of a line 75 nm long and 5 nm wide drawn with an STM on a liquid-covered Au(111) surface demonstrates the potential for manipulating surfaces. Images of a Pt film demonstrate the ability of STM's to find new features by zooming from large-area scans down to the atomic scale. Finally, an AFM image of a liquid-covered graphite surface demonstrates atomic resolution. (mjm)