Magnetic exchange force microscopy with atomic resolution

The ordering of neighbouring atomic magnetic moments (spins) leads to important collective phenomena such as ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism. A full understanding of magnetism on the nanometre scale therefore calls for information on the arrangement of spins in real space and with atomic resolution. Spin-polarized scanning tunnelling microscopy accomplishes this but can probe only conducting materials. Force microscopy can be used on any sample independent of its conductivity. In particular, magnetic force microscopy is well suited to exploring ferromagnetic domain structures. However, atomic resolution cannot be achieved because data acquisition involves the sensing of long-range magnetostatic forces between tip and sample. Magnetic exchange force microscopy has been proposed for overcoming this limitation: by using an atomic force microscope with a magnetic tip, it should be possible to detect the short-range magnetic exchange force between tip and sample spins. Here we show for a prototypical antiferromagnetic insulator, the (001) surface of nickel oxide, that magnetic exchange force microscopy can indeed reveal the arrangement of both surface atoms and their spins simultaneously. In contrast with previous attempts to implement this method, we use an external magnetic field to align the magnetic polarization at the tip apex so as to optimize the interaction between tip and sample spins. This allows us to observe the direct magnetic exchange coupling between the spins of the tip atom and sample atom that are closest to each other, and thereby demonstrate the potential of magnetic exchange force microscopy for investigations of inter-spin interactions at the atomic level.     

原子力显微镜在癌细胞观察和研究中的应用

原子力显微镜(AFM),能够在接近生理条件下以具有原子级的分辨率对活细胞进行表面成像和超微结构观察,同时可以研究细胞的生物过程、细胞与药物之间和细胞之间的相互作用,成为细胞生物学研究的一种有效工具.近年来AFM在细胞生物学研究中的应用进展很快,许多研究成果在生物医学和临床医学方面有良好的应用前景.本文分析了原子力显微镜的成像机理、工作模式和技术要点,综述了原子力显微镜在癌细胞的研究应用现状和前景.     

原子力显微镜与磷脂双层膜作用实验结果理论分析

 利用原子力显微镜研究生物膜力学性质,已经成为研究生物膜稳定性的重要技术。通常,原子力显微镜探针和磷脂双层膜相互作用力谱曲线包括非线性部分和线性部分,其中线性部分的物理机制仍不完全清楚。将磷脂双层膜看作弹性半空间,基于相互作用原理,系统地研究了原子力显微镜探针与磷脂双层膜相互作用过程,理论结果包含了能够表征磷脂双层膜稳定性的重要参数：杨氏模量和泊松系数,以及原子力显微镜探针尖端半径。不仅合理地揭示了H. J. Bütt的实验结果曲线中线性部分的物理机制,还指出,通过增加离子浓度,磷脂双层膜的杨氏模量增大和泊松系数减小,从而导致原子力显微镜探针与磷脂双层膜之间的相互作用力随着离子浓度增加而增加。     

Chemical identification of individual surface atoms by atomic force microscopy

Scanning probe microscopy is a versatile and powerful method that uses sharp tips to image, measure and manipulate matter at surfaces with atomic resolution. At cryogenic temperatures, scanning probe microscopy can even provide electron tunnelling spectra that serve as fingerprints of the vibrational properties of adsorbed molecules and of the electronic properties of magnetic impurity atoms, thereby allowing chemical identification. But in many instances, and particularly for insulating systems, determining the exact chemical composition of surfaces or nanostructures remains a considerable challenge. In principle, dynamic force microscopy should make it possible to overcome this problem: it can image insulator, semiconductor and metal surfaces with true atomic resolution, by detecting and precisely measuring the short-range forces that arise with the onset of chemical bonding between the tip and surface atoms and that depend sensitively on the chemical identity of the atoms involved. Here we report precise measurements of such short-range chemical forces, and show that their dependence on the force microscope tip used can be overcome through a normalization procedure. This allows us to use the chemical force measurements as the basis for atomic recognition, even at room temperature. We illustrate the performance of this approach by imaging the surface of a particularly challenging alloy system and successfully identifying the three constituent atomic species silicon, tin and lead, even though these exhibit very similar chemical properties and identical surface position preferences that render any discrimination attempt based on topographic measurements impossible.     

The structure and chemistry of the TiO(2)-rich surface of SrTiO(3) (001)

Oxide surfaces are important for applications in catalysis and thin film growth. An important frontier in solid-state inorganic chemistry is the prediction of the surface structure of an oxide. Comparatively little is known about atomic arrangements at oxide surfaces at present, and there has been considerable discussion concerning the forces that control such arrangements. For instance, one model suggests that the dominant factor is a reduction of Coulomb forces; another favours minimization of 'dangling bonds' by charge transfer to states below the Fermi energy. The surface structure and properties of SrTiO(3)--a standard model for oxides with a perovskite structure--have been studied extensively. Here we report a solution of the 2 x 1 SrTiO(3) (001) surface structure obtained through a combination of high-resolution electron microscopy and theoretical direct methods. Our results indicate that surface rearrangement of TiO(6-x) units into edge-sharing blocks determines the SrO-deficient surface structure of SrTiO(3). We suggest that this structural concept can be extended to perovskite surfaces in general.     

纳米级自旋分离的铁磁共振成像研究

自旋间的相互作用力对原子级别纳米构造体磁性质的理解是极为重要的.磁交换力显微镜(MExFM)是测量原子磁矩相互作用力的一种创新手段,但是这种手段不能分离表面形貌和自旋信息.我们提出的铁磁共振磁交换力显微镜(FMR-MExFM)实现了磁性材料表面的磁交换力信息和表面形貌信息的分离.为了充分利用铁磁共振效应,高效率的微波照射机构是极为重要的一项.在本研究中,通过照射机构的仿真和优化设计得到了微波在同轴电缆间的衰减、照射机构直径以及同轴电缆-探针距离之间的关系,同时得到了最优化的实验条件,在此基础上提高了铁磁共振检测的灵敏度.运用改进后的FMR-MExFM,成功地完全分离了磁性信息和表面结构信息,实现了磁性信息N极和S极的180°的相位差.本研究对FMR-MExFM的开发、磁信息检测具有重要的作用.     

Three-dimensional atomic imaging of crystalline nanoparticles

Determining the three-dimensional (3D) arrangement of atoms in crystalline nanoparticles is important for nanometre-scale device engineering and also for applications involving nanoparticles, such as optoelectronics or catalysis. A nanoparticle's physical and chemical properties are controlled by its exact 3D morphology, structure and composition. Electron tomography enables the recovery of the shape of a nanoparticle from a series of projection images. Although atomic-resolution electron microscopy has been feasible for nearly four decades, neither electron tomography nor any other experimental technique has yet demonstrated atomic resolution in three dimensions. Here we report the 3D reconstruction of a complex crystalline nanoparticle at atomic resolution. To achieve this, we combined aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, statistical parameter estimation theory and discrete tomography. Unlike conventional electron tomography, only two images of the target--a silver nanoparticle embedded in an aluminium matrix--are sufficient for the reconstruction when combined with available knowledge about the particle's crystallographic structure. Additional projections confirm the reliability of the result. The results we present help close the gap between the atomic resolution achievable in two-dimensional electron micrographs and the coarser resolution that has hitherto been obtained by conventional electron tomography.     

Stretching and imaging studies of single DNA molecules

DNA molecules were stretched on silanized mica surface with the molecular combing technique, and detected with fluorescence microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Meantime, DNA molecules were stretched with a modified dynamic molecular combing technique and studied with atomic force microscopy. The results indicate that, compared with the dynamic molecular combing technique, the modified dynamic molecular combing technique has advantages of less-sample demand and less contamination to sample; as compared with the molecular combing technique, it has better aligning effect and reproducibility. Combination of this kind of DNA molecular manipulating technique with the single DNA molecule detecting technique by atomic force microscopy and fluorescence microscopy will play an important role in the basic research of molecular dynamics and the application of gene research.     

多孔硅的荧光及微结构

用扫描隧道显微和光致发光方法，观察了发光多孔硅的微结构形貌。发现多孔硅的光致发光主要源自其最表面层；该层是无定型的，但又不同于一般的非晶硅，而像是由大量纳米尺度的硅原子族组成的海绵状微结构；诸硅原子簇随机分布，相互间没有清晰的界面；没有观察到“线”状或“柱”状的结构；多孔硅的微结构有明显的分形特征，其发光很可能是源自此纳米硅材料中的量子尺寸效应。     

煤表面结构介观表象的原子力显微镜(AFM)观测

针对煤复杂的表面结构,运用原子力显微镜(AFM)观测介观尺度下煤表面特征的研究方法,对煤表面形貌进行了初步观测,获得煤样的二维和三维表面形貌图,并进行了煤表面的粒度、粗糙度及功率谱分析.分析结果表明:幅度参数是表征煤样表面粗糙度的特征参数之一;利用功率谱密度有助于分析煤表面的分形特征,将AFM用于煤的表面结构特征研究,为研究煤表面介观特征提供了新的研究方法.     

Cutting and Welding of Nanomaterials with an Electron Beam

1 Results Scanning tunneling microscope and atomic force microscope have been applied to manipulate individual atoms or clusters on a clean surface.Focused ion beam technique is routinely used to cut materials down to sub-100 nm dimension.However,in between the atomic and the sub-100 nm scales,i.e.,at the nanometer scale,to date there is no well-established physical modification technique.Here we demonstrate that localized,impurity-free nano-welding and nano-cutting techniques with a high-intensity elec...     

Simulating micrometre-scale crystal growth from solution

Understanding crystal growth is essential for controlling the crystallization used in industrial separation and purification processes. Because solids interact through their surfaces, crystal shape can influence both chemical and physical properties. The thermodynamic morphology can readily be predicted, but most particle shapes are actually controlled by the kinetics of the atomic growth processes through which assembly occurs. Here we study the urea-solvent interface at the nanometre scale and report kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of the micrometre-scale three-dimensional growth of urea crystals. These simulations accurately reproduce experimentally observed crystal growth. Unlike previous models of crystal growth, no assumption is made that the morphology can be constructed from the results for independently growing surfaces or from an a priori specification of surface defect concentration. This approach offers insights into the role of the solvent, the degree of supersaturation, and the contribution that extended defects (such as screw dislocations) make to crystal growth. It also connects observations made at the nanometre scale, through in situ atomic force microscopy, with those made at the macroscopic level. If extended to include additives, the technique could lead to the computer-aided design of crystals.     

电化学扫描微探针技术在固—液界面表征和修饰中的应用

固－液界面（主要指电化学界面）是进行物理化学过程的重要场所,而界面的微观结构起着十分关键的作用。电化学扫描探针显微镜（ＥＣＳＰＭ）已成为研究固－液界面结构的有力的工具。主要包括电化学扫描隧道显微镜（ＥＣＳＴＭ）、电化学原子力显微镜（ＥＣＡＦＭ）和扫描电化学显微镜（ＳＥＣＭ）。结合实验室近年来的研究工作和最新结果。从方法论的角度讨论ＥＣＳＰＭ特点、固－液体系在ＥＣＳＰＭ表面研究和表面修饰加工中所具有     

Experimental measurements and theoretical calculations of the atomic structure of materials with subangstrom resolution and picometer precision

Lattice defects are unavoidable structural units in materials and play an important role in determining material properties. Compared with the periodic structure of crystals, the atomic configurations of the lattice defects are determined by the coordinates of a large number of atoms, making it difficult to experimentally investigate them. In computational materials science, multiparameter optimization is also a difficult problem and experimental verification is usually required to determine the possibility of obtaining the structure and properties predicted by cal- culations. Using our recent studies on oxide surfaces as examples, we introduce the method of integrated aberra- tion-corrected electron microscopy and the first-principles calculations to analyze the atomic structure of lattice defects. The atomic configurations of defects were mea- sured using quantitative high-resolution electron micros- copy at subangstrom resolution and picometer precision, and then the electronic structure and dynamic behavior of materials can be studied at the atomic scale using the first- principles calculations. The two methods complement each other and can be combined to increase the understanding of the atomic structure of materials in both the time and space dimensions, which will benefit materials design at the atomic scale.     

Protein images obtained by STM, AFM and TEM.

Scanning tunnelling microscopy and atomic force microscopy, one scanning the tunnelling current and the other the repulsive atomic force between same and probe, can give high-quality surface topographies of proteins, which have been difficult to obtain by more conventional methods such as transmission electron microscopy.     

Domain structure of hard magnetic NdAlFeCo bulk metallic glass

Magnetic domain structure of hard magnetic Nd₆₀Al₁₀Fe₂₀Co₁₀ bulk metallic glass (BMG) has been studied by using magnetic force microscopy. In the magnetic force images it is shown that the exchange interaction type magnetic domains with a period of about 360 nm do exist in the BMG, which is believed to be associated with the appearance of hard-magnetic properties in this system. As the scale of the magnetic domain is much larger than the size of the short-range ordered atomic clusters existing in the BMG, it is believed that the large areas of magnetic contrast are actually a collection of a group of clusters aligned in parallel by strong exchange coupling interaction. After fully crystallization, the BMG exhibits paramagnetism. No obvious magnetic contrast is observed in the magnetic force images of fully crystallized samples, except for a small quantity of ferromagnetic crystalline phase with low coercivity and an average size of 900 nm.     

The native architecture of a photosynthetic membrane

In photosynthesis, the harvesting of solar energy and its subsequent conversion into a stable charge separation are dependent upon an interconnected macromolecular network of membrane-associated chlorophyll-protein complexes. Although the detailed structure of each complex has been determined, the size and organization of this network are unknown. Here we show the use of atomic force microscopy to directly reveal a native bacterial photosynthetic membrane. This first view of any multi-component membrane shows the relative positions and associations of the photosynthetic complexes and reveals crucial new features of the organization of the network: we found that the membrane is divided into specialized domains each with a different network organization and in which one type of complex predominates. Two types of organization were found for the peripheral light-harvesting LH2 complex. In the first, groups of 10-20 molecules of LH2 form light-capture domains that interconnect linear arrays of dimers of core reaction centre (RC)-light-harvesting 1 (RC-LH1-PufX) complexes; in the second they were found outside these arrays in larger clusters. The LH1 complex is ideally positioned to function as an energy collection hub, temporarily storing it before transfer to the RC where photochemistry occurs: the elegant economy of the photosynthetic membrane is demonstrated by the close packing of these linear arrays, which are often only separated by narrow 'energy conduits' of LH2 just two or three complexes wide.     

Reverse engineering of the giant muscle protein titin

Through the study of single molecules it has become possible to explain the function of many of the complex molecular assemblies found in cells. The protein titin provides muscle with its passive elasticity. Each titin molecule extends over half a sarcomere, and its extensibility has been studied both in situ and at the level of single molecules. These studies suggested that titin is not a simple entropic spring but has a complex structure-dependent elasticity. Here we use protein engineering and single-molecule atomic force microscopy to examine the mechanical components that form the elastic region of human cardiac titin. We show that when these mechanical elements are combined, they explain the macroscopic behaviour of titin in intact muscle. Our studies show the functional reconstitution of a protein from the sum of its parts.     

切片技术在聚合物材料研究中的应用

将切片技术与透射电子显微镜（TEM）、原子力显微镜（AFM）、光学显微镜（LM）等快速发展的显微分析技术结合起来，可以研究聚合物材料的形貌结构、相容性和结晶，以及填料的分散及形貌结构等，有助于优化聚合物材料的制备工艺条件、配方和性能。进一步优化切片速度、温度等切片技术参数并加强与显微红外光谱等其他显微学表征手段的结合，将使切片技术在高分子材料的结构分析与性能优化中发挥更加重要的作用。