5,231 research outputs found
Electromechanical Imaging of Biological Systems with Sub-10 nm Resolution
Electromechanical imaging of tooth dentin and enamel has been performed with
sub-10 nm resolution using piezoresponse force microscopy. Characteristic
piezoelectric domain size and local protein fiber ordering in dentin have been
determined. The shape of a single collagen fibril in enamel is visualized in
real space and local hysteresis loops are measured. Because of the ubiquitous
presence of piezoelectricity in biological systems, this approach is expected
to find broad application in high-resolution studies of a wide range of
biomaterials.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, submitted for publication in Appl. Phys. Let
The Band Excitation Method in Scanning Probe Microscopy for Rapid Mapping of Energy Dissipation on the Nanoscale
Mapping energy transformation pathways and dissipation on the nanoscale and
understanding the role of local structure on dissipative behavior is a
challenge for imaging in areas ranging from electronics and information
technologies to efficient energy production. Here we develop a novel Scanning
Probe Microscopy (SPM) technique in which the cantilever is excited and the
response is recorded over a band of frequencies simultaneously rather than at a
single frequency as in conventional SPMs. This band excitation (BE) SPM allows
very rapid acquisition of the full frequency response at each point (i.e.
transfer function) in an image and in particular enables the direct measurement
of energy dissipation through the determination of the Q-factor of the
cantilever-sample system. The BE method is demonstrated for force-distance and
voltage spectroscopies and for magnetic dissipation imaging with sensitivity
close to the thermomechanical limit. The applicability of BE for various SPMs
is analyzed, and the method is expected to be universally applicable to all
ambient and liquid SPMs.Comment: 32 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Nanotechnolog
Direct Measurement of Periodic Electric Forces in Liquids
The electric forces acting on an atomic force microscope tip in solution have
been measured using a microelectrochemical cell formed by two periodically
biased electrodes. The forces were measured as a function of lift height and
bias amplitude and frequency, providing insight into electrostatic interactions
in liquids. Real-space mapping of the vertical and lateral components of
electrostatic forces acting on the tip from the deflection and torsion of the
cantilever is demonstrated. This method enables direct probing of electrostatic
and convective forces involved in electrophoretic and dielectroforetic
self-assembly and electrical tweezer operation in liquid environments
Probing the role of single defects on the thermodynamics of electric-field induced phase transitions
The kinetics and thermodynamics of first order transitions is universally
controlled by defects that act as nucleation sites and pinning centers. Here we
demonstrate that defect-domain interactions during polarization reversal
processes in ferroelectric materials result in a pronounced fine structure in
electromechanical hysteresis loops. Spatially-resolved imaging of a single
defect center in multiferroic BiFeO3 thin film is achieved, and the defect size
and built-in field are determined self-consistently from the single-point
spectroscopic measurements and spatially-resolved images. This methodology is
universal and can be applied to other reversible bias-induced transitions
including electrochemical reactions.Comment: 34 pages,4 figures, high quality figures are available upon request,
submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
The 2mrad horizontal crossing angle IR layout for a TeV ILC
The current status of the 2mrad crossing angle layout for the ILC is
reviewed. The scheme developed in the UK and France is described and the
performance discussed for a TeV machine. Secondly, the scheme developed at SLAC
and BNL is then studied and modified for a TeV machine. We find that both
schemes can handle the higher energy beam with modifications, and share many
common features.Comment: The proceedings of the 2005 International Linear Collider Workshop,
March 2005. 4 pages, 5 figure
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