Research at Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) Gets an Early Start
Peter Sutter (left), Center for Functional Materials, and Peter Bennett (right), Arizona State University.
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Research at Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) Gets an Early Start
Though the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN)—a hub of cutting-edge nanoscience studies located at the Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory — won't be fully operational until next April, it already welcomed the first user in its brand-new building earlier this year.
Peter Bennett, a professor at Arizona State University, collaborated with Peter Sutter, his CFN host, in an experimental test of a low-energy electron microscope, or LEEM - one of the advanced instruments available at the CFN to elucidate the properties of nanomaterials.
"We are working to build useful nanoscale objects. This requires that we understand and learn to control their growth," said Bennett. "Just seeing structure at the nanoscale is difficult. Watching them interact in real time at high temperature is even more challenging."
According to Bennett, no tool is better suited for this work than a LEEM. Unlike in a conventional transmission electron microscope, electrons in a LEEM do not penetrate a sample; rather, they are reflected, gently probing the surface.
In one experiment, Bennett is looking at the motion of tiny droplets of liquid metal, in the form of a platinum-silicide (PtSi) alloy on a clean silicon surface. In the case of silicon(100), successive crystal layers have two alternate structures, leading to a strong black/white contrast between alternate layers. The resulting zebra-like pattern provides a clear indication of the configuration (and motion) of single atomic steps on the surface.
Other tools available at the CFN are a variety of microscopes, including atomic force and transmission electron microscopes, and equipment for synthesis and nano-patterning. These instruments make it possible to prepare materials at the nanoscale and to obtain powerful complementary information about them.
The machines, some of which are still in the process of being tested at the CFN, will be magnets for researchers. The CFN is expected to attract 300 users annually, from university and research institutions from throughout the United States and around the world. Facility time at the CFN is granted through a peer-review proposal system
The CFN is one of five nanoscale science research centers funded by the Department of Energy's Office of Science