Solving single molecule mobility
Monday, October 18, 2010 - 08:00
in Physics & Chemistry
Nanotechnologists assemble intricate nanodevices, such as computer chips, molecule by molecule using bottom-up techniques that mirror nature. One approach shuttles molecules along surfaces into new and functional arrangements using electrons from a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip. However, because energy transfer between the atomic-scale tip and the surface chemical involves many complex interactions, laborious efforts are currently needed to understand even the simplest reactions.