Special Issue "SPM in Materials Science"

Guest Editor
Dr. Christine Ortiz
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering RM 13-4022 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Website: http://web.mit.edu/cortiz/www/
E-Mail:

Dear Colleagues,

This special issue will focus on recent advances in the field of materials science and engineering facilitated by the use of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) instrumentation and methodologies. Example of topics within the scope of this issue include; studies of the nanoelectronic and magnetic properties of materials, nanoscale dynamic mechanical properties of materials, single cell mechanics and mechanotransduction, integration of SPM with chemical characterization techniques, atomic manipulation, high resolution imaging of biological materials and engineered tissues, nanoscale tribology, friction, lubrication, wear, nanoscale adhesion, atomic force microscope-based nanoindentation, single molecule force spectroscopy, and spatially specific nanomechanics.

Dr. Christine Ortiz
Guest Editor

Submission

All manuscripts should be submitted to materials@mdpi.org with a copy to the Guest Editor. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. Papers will be published continuously (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are refereed through a peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed Open Access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this Open Access journal is 800 CHF per accepted paper.

• atomic force microscopy
• scanning tunneling microscopy
• nanomechanics
• nanoindentation
• single molecule force spectroscopy
• single cell mechanics

Feature Paper:

Title: Quantum Nanoislands on Metal Substrates: Integrated STM and Modeling Studies
Authors: Y. Han, B. Unal, D. Jing, P.A. Thiel, and J.W. Evans; E-Mail: evans@ameslab.gov
Abstract: Confinement of electrons can occur in metal nanoislands or in continuous films of nanoscale thickness grown heteroepitaxially upon a substrate of a different metal or metallic alloy. This quantum size effect (QSE) can produce a weak height-dependence of the surface energy which may suffice to induce height selection during film growth. STM analysis has revealed remarkable flat-topped or mesa-like island morphologies in various systems. Examples include: Ag/Fe(100) and Pb/Cu(111) [A on B], Ag/NiAl(110) and perhaps Fe/Cu₃Au(001) [A on BC], and Ag/5-fold i-AlPdMn and Bi/5-fold i-AlCuFe [A on BCD]. Density Functional Theory analysis often provides insight into QSE-mediated thermodynamic driving force underlying height selection. Atomistic or coarse-grained modeling incorporating DFT energetics provides a strategy to address the greater challenge of understanding the kinetics of nanostructure formation.

Regular Paper:

Type: Review
Title: Scanning Probe Microscopy Investigation of Ligand Coated Metal Nanoparticles
Author: Francesco Stellacci
Affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering
MIT; E-mail: frstella@mit.edu
Abstract: Ligand coated metal nanoparticles are supramolecular assemblies of a self-assembled monolayer (the ligand shell) onto a core metallic crystal. The ligand shell of the nanoparticles determines the interactions of the nanoparticles with the external environment consequently determining most of the properties needed for most of the
applications envisioned for these particles. This review will focus on recent progress in using Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy to understand the ligand packing and to obtain structural information of the ligand shell. It has been found that homoligand nanoparticles show a slightly larger packing density when compared to the density of the same monolayer formed on a flat surface. Mixed ligand monolayer are observed to form ligand shell on nanoparticles whose morphology differs more substantially when compared to the morphology of the same monolayers on flat surfaces. Indeed these ligand shell when composed of a binary mixture of immiscible ligands show separated domains of stripe-like structure. This striped structure indicates an inherent packing principle for mixed layers that enables a deeper understanding of the ligand packing on curved surfaces. After a detailed discussion of optimizing sample preparation conditions and statistical analysis of the Scanning Tunneling Microscopy images, we focus on discussing the interpretations of the observed trends in our data.

Type of Paper: Article
Title: A Theoretical Study on Metal Dependence of Signal Transmission through Mixed-Valence Complexes
Authors: Ken Tokunaga et al.
Affiliation: Center for Research and Advancement in Higher Education, Kyushu University Motooka 744, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan; E-Mail: tokunaga@rche.kyushu-u.ac.jp
Abstract: Signal transmission through metal complexes [(NH₃)₅ M-BL-M (NH₃)₅]⁵⁺ (M = Fe, Ru, Os, BL = pyrazine, 4,4'-bipyridine),
which are simplified models of molecular quantum-dot cellular automata (molecular QCA), is dynamically discussed from the viewpoint of one-electron theories, Hartree-Fock (HF) theory and density functional theory (DFT). It is found that signal amplitude is almost independent of the kinds of M and BL. On the other hand, signal transmission time is strongly dependent on the kinds of M (Fe < Os < Ru) and BL (pyrazine < 4,4’-bipyridine). These results are discussed from overlap integral and energy gap of molecular orbitals, and design guidelines for high-performance molecular QCA device is also proposed.

Type of Paper: Review
Title: Visualization and Control of Molecular Motion in Supramolecular Systems by STM
Authors: Masashi Kunitake, Shinobu Uemura and Akihiro Ohira
Affiliation: Kumamoto University; E-mail: kunitake@chem.kumamoto-u.ac.jp (M.K.)
Abstract: 2D supramolecular architectures are constructed by the superb balance between multiple interactions at the solution - solid interface. The review will focus not only on observation of 2D supramolecular arrangements, but also on the self-organization mechanism and molecular dynamics based on motions in thermocynamic equilibriums.