Scanning Probe Microscope Open House

 

On October 20, 2011, three departments at EIU – Chemistry, Physics, and Geology/Geography – jointly held an open house to introduce to the campus community a newly acquired Scanning Probe Microscope. This state-of-the-art instrument was acquired through a National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation (NSF-MRI) grant and can be used to study the surfaces of materials at the nanoscale.

Dr. Jie Zou from Physics is a co-Principal Investigator on this grant. She will be using this instrument to study thermal conduction in semiconductor nanostructures. This instrument will also provide ample opportunities for undergraduate research. Currently, a pre-engineering student will be using this instrument to study the Lennard-Jones interatomic interactions. This project will start in spring 2012. 

 

 

                   new microscope

                                   Dr. Zou (seated left) and Dr. Mitrovski (right) demonstrate the Scanning Probe                                        Microscope at the October 20th Open House.