Scientists First To Image 'Anatomy' Of A Molecule
IBM scientists have been able to image the anatomy - or chemical structure - inside a molecule with unprecedented resolution, using a complex technique known as noncontact atomic force microscopy.
The results push the exploration of using molecules and atoms at the smallest scale and could greatly impact the field of nanotechnology, which seeks to understand and control some of the smallest objects known to mankind.
"Though not an exact comparison, if you think about how a doctor uses an x-ray to image bones and organs inside the human body, we are using the atomic force microscope to image the atomic structures that are the backbones of individual molecules," said IBM Researcher Gerhard Meyer. "Scanning probe techniques offer amazing potential for prototyping complex functional structures and for tailoring and studying their electronic and chemical properties on the atomic scale.”
The team’s current publication follows on the heels of another experiment published just two months ago in the June 12 issue of Science (Volume 324, Issue 5933, pp. 1428 - 1431) where IBM scientists measured the charge states of atoms using an AFM.
These breakthroughs will open new possibilities for investigating how charge transmits through molecules or molecular networks. Understanding the charge distribution at the atomic scale is essential for building smaller, faster and more energy-efficient computing components than today’s processors and memory devices.
These components could one day contribute to IBM's vision of a smarter planet by helping instrument and interconnect the physical world.
As reported in the August 28 issue of Science magazine, IBM Research - Zurich scientists Leo Gross, Fabian Mohn, Nikolaj Moll and Gerhard Meyer, in collaboration with Peter Liljeroth of Utrecht University, used an AFM operated in an ultrahigh vacuum and at very low temperatures (-268oC or - 451oF) to image the chemical structure of individual pentacene molecules.
With their AFM, the IBM scientists, for the first time ever, were able to look through the electron cloud and see the atomic backbone of an individual molecule. While not a direct technological comparison, this is reminiscent of x-rays that pass through soft tissue to enable clear images of bones.
"Imaging the "anatomy" of a pentacene molecule - 3D rendered view: By using an atomically sharp metal tip terminated with a carbon monoxide molecule, IBM scientists were able to measure in the short-range regime of forces which allowed them to obtain an image of the inner structure of the molecule. The colored surface represents experimental data. (Credit: Image courtesy of IBM Research - Zurich)"
Source: IBM
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