电化学原子力显微镜的应用

评述了电化学原子力显微镜的原理和技术及其在现场电化学和电分析化学领域的应用,如观察电镀、腐蚀和防腐的过程,电化学沉积膜的形成和特点,测定两表面间的静电力等,指出其存在的一些缺陷,并对经过改造后的电化学原子力显微镜进行了综述。     

Aspects of the physical chemistry of polymers, biomaterials and mineralised tissues investigated with atomic force microscopy (AFM)

Beyond being merely a tool for measuring surface topography, atomic force microscopy (AFM) has made significant contributions to various scientific areas dealing with physical chemistry processes. This paper presents aspects of the physical chemistry at surfaces and interfaces of polymers, biomaterials and tissues investigated with AFM. Selected examples presented include surface induced self-assembly of polymer blends, copolymer interfacial reinforcement of immiscible homopolymers, protein adsorption on biomaterials and erosion of mineralised human tissues. In these areas, AFM is a useful and versatile tool to study structural or dynamic sample properties including thermodynamically driven surface evolution of polymer surfaces, lateral surface composition of interfaces, adsorption processes, and the metrology of demineralisation phenomena.     

Recent progress in the application of in situ atomic force microscopy for rechargeable batteries

High energy density batteries are urgently required for sustainable life. The intrinsic understanding of the reaction mechanism at the interfaces is essential for the progress. In this short overview, recent advances in rechargeable batteries by in situ atomic force microscopy are summarized, providing nanoscale information on the solid product evolution and metal plating/stripping inside working batteries. Besides, the multifunctional imaging of the morphology along with mechanical and electrical properties can be achieved to assist further interfacial design. Extensive applications of in situ atomic force microscopy are encouraged to explore the electrochemical mechanism and advanced engineering.     

Combining electrochemistry and direct force measurements: from the control of surface properties towards applications

Direct force measurements contributed in the last years much to our understanding of the diffuse double layer of charged interfaces in electrolyte solutions. Such measurements have been performed with the atomic force microscope or the surface force apparatus. This review gives an overview over the recent studies based on force measurements with electrode surfaces. Not only bare metal electrodes but also electrodes modified by different organic layers, including electroactive films, have been studied by these techniques. Direct force measurements indicate that further effects besides classical Gouy–Chapman–Stern theory have to be taken into consideration in order to describe the force profiles. In addition to the long-range forces also the adhesion between surfaces can be tuned by potentiostatic control. New single-molecule techniques based on the atomic force microscope allow to probe the extension of polymer strands or their desorption from solid interfaces. In combination with electrochemistry, it became now possible to tune the desorption behavior of polymer strands or to measure the electromechanical coupling of motors from single strands of electroactive polymers.     

Understanding and Manipulating Inorganic Materials with Scanning Probe Microscopes

Scanning probe microscopies, such as scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy, are uniquely powerful tools for probing the microscopic properties of surfaces. If these microscopies are used to study low-dimensional materials, from two-dimensional solids such as graphite to zero-dimensional nanostructures, it is possible to elucidate atomic-scale structural and electronic properties characteristic of the bulk of a material and not simply the surface. By combining such measurements with chemical synthesis or direct manipulation it is further possible to elucidate relationships between composition, structure, and physical properties, thus promoting an understanding of the chemical basis of material properties. This article illustrates that the combination of scanning probe microscopies and chemical synthesis has advanced our understanding of charge density waves, high-temperature superconductivity, and nanofabrication in low-dimensional materials. This new approach to studying materials has directly contributed to our knowledge of how metal dopants interact with charge density waves and elucidated the local crystal chemistry of complex copper oxides, microscopic details of the superconducting states in materials with a high superconducting transition I_c, and new approaches to the fabrication of multi-component nanostructures. Coupling scanning probe microscopy measurement and manipulation with chemical synthesis should provide an approach to understanding material properties and creating complex nanostructures in general.     

Molecular simulation of protein adsorption and conformation at gas-liquid,liquid–liquid and solid–liquid interfaces

The adsorption of proteins at surfaces and interfaces is important in a wide range of industries. Understanding and controlling the conformation of adsorbed proteins at surfaces is critical to stability and function in many technological applications including foods and biomedical testing kits or sensors. Studying adsorbed protein conformation is difficult experimentally and so over the past few decades researchers have turned to computer simulation methods to give information at the atomic level on this important area. In this review we summarize some of the significant simulation work over the past four years at both fluid (liquid–liquid and gas–liquid interfaces) and solid–liquid interfaces. Of particular significance is the work on surfactant proteins such as fungal hydrophobins, ranspumin-2 from the túngara frog and the bacteria protein BslA. These have evolved unique structures impart very high surface-active properties to the molecules. A highlight is the elucidation of the clam-shell unhinging mechanism of ranspumin-2 adsorption to the gas–liquid interface that is responsible for its adsorption to and stabilization of the air bubbles in túngara frog foam nests.     

Binding the tobacco mosaic virus to inorganic surfaces

We studied the adsorption behavior and surface chemistry of the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) on well-defined metal and insulator surfaces. TMV serves as a tubular supramolecular model system with precisely known surface termination. We show that if the surface chemistry of the substrate and the pH-dependent chemistry of the molecular surface match, for example, by hydrogen bonding, a strong adsorption occurs, and lateral movement is impeded. Due to the immobilization, the virion can be imaged by atomic force microscopy (AFM) in contact mode. We also used self-assembled monolayers with an acyl chloride group to induce covalent bonding via ester formation. Noncontact AFM proved that TMV keeps its cylindrical cross section only under weak adsorption conditions, that is, on hydrophobic surfaces, while on hydrophilic substrates a deformation occurs to maximize the number of interacting chemical groups.     

Preparation and characterization of nanocomposite polyurethane

Polyurethane/nanosilica composites were prepared using polyester polyol/nanosilica composite resins obtained from in situ polymerization or blending methods and investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA), transmittance electron microscopy (TEM), contact angle measurement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. It was found that more polyester segments had chemically bonded with silica particles during in situ polymerization than during blending, introducing nanosilica increased the Tgs of polyurethanes, and different preparation methods and different particle sizes caused various impact on Tg. Contact angle measurement and XPS analyses indicated that nanosilica tended to move towards the surfaces and interfaces of polyurethane coats, decreasing the free energies of the surfaces and interfaces, but the nanosilica particles were just observed at interfaces not surfaces by AFM.     

Effects of plasma treatments for improving extreme wettability behavior of cotton fabrics

A simple, environmentally benign and energy efficient process for fabricating single faced superhydrophilic/hydrophobic cotton fabrics by controlling surface texture and chemistry at the nano/microscale is reported here. Stable ultra-hydrophobic surfaces with advancing and receding water droplet contact angles in excess of 146° as well as extreme superhydrophilic surfaces are obtained. Hydrophobic water-repellent cotton fabrics were obtained following plasma treatment through diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition. The influence of changing different precursor’s plasma pre-treatments such as H₂, Ar or O₂ on the properties of DLC coatings is also evaluated using atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and analysed in terms of contact angle measurements. Because of the DLC coating, the coated fabric showed to endure its superhydrophobic character even after 12 months.     

Uniform Heterogeneous Catalysts: The Role of Solid-State Chemistry in their Development and Design

Heterogeneous catalysts are generally assumed to be multiphasic and multicomponent; many of them are, and this is one of the resons why disentangling the factors that govern their mode of action is so difficult. But there is a large class of heterogeneous catalysts where the solid is monophasic and where the activity may be envisaged as being dispersed in a spatially uniform fashion throughout its bulk. This is true both of zeolites and many other microporous catalysts on the one hand, and of certain mixed metal oxides, where the non-stoiohiometry is inextricably mingled with the catalysis, on the other. By recognizing this broad classification numerous operational advantages follow: the performance of existing catalysts and the design of those yet to be prepared can be placed on a rational footing; moreover, the myriad techniques of solid-state chemistry and physics, often regarded as inapplicable to the subtle and special problems of surface chemistry, are seen to be of direct relevance as probes for the structure and properties of proven uniform heterogeneous catalysts as well as for the synthesis and development of new ones. This review, which draws analogies with and lessons from the chemistry of enzyme catalysts, focuses largely on the catalytic conversions of hydrocarbons over zeolites, clays, microporous AlPO₄ and a wide range of metal oxides.     

Structure and dynamics of polymeric materials in nano-scale

The nano-palpation technique,i.e.,nanometer-scale elastic and viscoelastic measurements based on atomic force microscope,is introduced.It is demonstrated to be very useful in analyzing nanometer-scale materials properties for the surfaces and interfaces of various types of soft materials.It enables us to obtain not only structural information but also mechanical information about a material at the same place and at the same time.     

Single DNA molecules as probes for interrogating silica surfaces after various chemical treatments

We examined the adsorption of single YOYO-1-labeled λ-DNA molecules at glass surfaces after treatment with various chemical cleaning methods by using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM). The characteristics of these surfaces were further assessed using contact angle (CA) measurements and atomic force microscopy (AFM). By recording the real-time dynamic motion of DNA molecules at the liquid/solid interface, subtle differences in adsorption affinities were revealed. The results indicate that the driving force for adsorption of DNA molecules on glass surfaces is mainly hydrophobic interaction. We also found that surface topography plays a role in the adsorption dynamics.     

Force measurements of bacterial adhesion on metals using a cell probe atomic force microscope

The adhesion of microbial cells to metal surfaces in aqueous media is an important phenomenon in both the natural environment and engineering systems. The adhesion of two anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria (Desulfovibrio desulfuricans and a local marine isolate) and an aerobe (Pseudomonas sp.) to four polished metal surfaces (i.e., stainless steel 316, mild steel, aluminum, and copper) was examined using a force spectroscopy technique with an atomic force microscope (AFM). Using a modified bacterial tip, the attraction and repulsion forces (in the nano-Newton range) between the bacterial cell and the metal surface in aqueous media were quantified. Results show that the bacterial adhesion force to aluminum is the highest among the metals investigated, whereas the one to copper is the lowest. The bacterial adhesion forces to metals are influenced by both the electrostatic force and metal surface hydrophobicity. It is also found that the physiological properties of the bacterium, namely the bacterial surface charges and hydrophobicity, also have influence on the bacteria-metal interaction. The adhesion to the metals by Pseudomonas sp. and D. desulfuricans was greater than by the marine SRB isolate. The cell-cell interactions show that there are strong electrostatic repulsion forces between bacterial cells. Cell probe atomic force microscopy has provided some useful insight into the interactions of bacterial cells with the metal surfaces.     

Exafs studies on SiO2-attached Nb-oxide catalysts and catalysis

Metal oxides molecularly deposited on high surface area supports may be one of the most promising catalysts from the viewpoint of effective use of resources and may also be of great interest from the viewpoint of new surface/interface chemistry. On the support surfaces unique structures of active sites are possible to create. The metal sites prepared by the attachment of suitable organometallic precursors are also affected electronically through a direct interaction at interface. Such molecularly designed active structures can be well characterized by means of EXAFS. The tailored metal catalysts may have great advantages for a deeper understanding of essential factors or origin of solid catalysis and catalyst design on a molecular level.     

Hydrodechlorination of chlorobenzene in the presence of Ni/Al2O3 prepared by laser electrodispersion and from a colloidal dispersion

The low-percentage Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts with active metal contents of 0.0002–0.1 wt % were prepared using the laser electrodispersion (LED) method and by means of supporting from a colloidal dispersion (CD). Their composition and physicochemical properties were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and XPS. With the use of TEM, it was found that average size of nickel particles in the LED catalysts was smaller than that in the CD catalysts. According to XPS data, the supporting of a metal onto a substrate by the LED method makes it possible to obtain samples containing Ni metal with a low active metal content (0.03 wt %). They exhibited a high initial activity in the hydrodechlorination reaction of chlorobenzene in a vapor phase, which was performed in a flow system at temperatures of 100–350°C. The CD catalysts were active in this reaction only at temperatures of 300–350°C. Reductive treatment led to the deactivation of LED catalysts and increased the activity and stability of samples prepared by supporting from a CD. The possible reasons for the observed changes are considered.     

Ultrathin Coating of Confined Pt Nanocatalysts by Atomic Layer Deposition for Enhanced Catalytic Performance in Hydrogenation Reactions

Metal‐support interfaces play a prominent role in heterogeneous catalysis. However, tailoring the metal‐support interfaces to realize full utilization remains a major challenge. In this work, we propose a graceful strategy to maximize the metal‐oxide interfaces by coating confined nanoparticles with an ultrathin oxide layer. This is achieved by sequential deposition of ultrathin Al₂O₃ coats, Pt, and a thick Al₂O₃ layer on carbon nanocoils templates by atomic layer deposition (ALD), followed by removal of the templates. Compared with the Pt catalysts confined in Al₂O₃ nanotubes without the ultrathin coats, the ultrathin coated samples have larger Pt–Al₂O₃ interfaces. The maximized interfaces significantly improve the activity and the protecting Al₂O₃ nanotubes retain the stability for hydrogenation reactions of 4‐nitrophenol. We believe that applying ALD ultrathin coats on confined catalysts is a promising way to achieve enhanced performance for other catalysts.     

Structures and Structural Evolution of Sublayer Surfaces of Metal–Organic Frameworks

The structural characterization of sublayer surfaces of MIL-101 is reported by low-dose spherical aberration-corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The state-of-the-art microscopy directly images atomic/molecular configurations in thin crystals from charge density projections, and uncovers the structures of sublayer surfaces and their evolution to stable surfaces regulated by inorganic Cr₃(μ₃-O) trimers. This study provides compelling evidence of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) crystal growth via the assembly of sublayer surfaces and has important implications in understanding the crystal growth and surface-related properties of MOFs.     

Nanoscale patterning of two metals on silicon surfaces using an ABC triblock copolymer template

Patterning technologically important semiconductor interfaces with nanoscale metal films is important for applications such as metallic interconnects and sensing applications. Self-assembling block copolymer templates are utilized to pattern an aqueous metal reduction reaction, galvanic displacement, on silicon surfaces. Utilization of a triblock copolymer monolayer film, polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-P2VP-b-PEO), with two blocks capable of selective transport of different metal complexes to the surface (PEO and P2VP), allows for chemical discrimination and nanoscale patterning. Different regions of the self-assembled structure discriminate between metal complexes at the silicon surface, at which time they undergo the spontaneous reaction at the interface. Gold deposition from gold(III) compounds such as HAuCl4(aq) in the presence of hydrofluoric acid mirrors the parent block copolymer core structure, whereas silver deposition from Ag(I) salts such as AgNO3(aq) does the opposite, localizing exclusively under the corona. By carrying out gold deposition first and silver second, sub-100-nm gold features surrounded by silver films can be produced. The chemical selectivity was extended to other metals, including copper, palladium, and platinum. The interfaces were characterized by a variety of methods, including scanning electron microscopy, scanning Auger microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy.     

Dielectrophoretic force microscopy of aqueous interfaces

A novel scanning probe microscopy technique has allowed dielectrophoretic force imaging with nanoscale spatial resolution. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) traditionally describes the mobility of polarizable particles in inhomogeneous alternating current (ac) electric fields. Integrating DEP with atomic force microscopy allows for noncontact imaging with the image contrast related to the local electric polarizability. By tuning the ac frequency, dielectric spectroscopy can be performed at solid/liquid interfaces with high spatial resolution. In studies of cells, the frequency-dependent dielectrophoretic force is sensitive to biologically relevant electrical properties, including local membrane capacitance and ion mobility. Consequently, dielectrophoretic force microscopy is well suited for in vitro noncontact scanning probe microscopy of biological systems.     

Strong Structural and Electronic Binding of Bovine Serum Albumin to ZnO via Specific Amino Acid Residues and Zinc Atoms

ZnO biointerfaces with serum albumin have attracted noticeable attention due to the increasing interest in developing ZnO-based materials for biomedical applications. ZnO surface morphology and chemistry are expected to play a critical role on the structural, optical, and electronic properties of albumin-ZnO complexes. Yet there are still large gaps in the understanding of these biological interfaces. Herein we comprehensively elucidate the interactions at such interfaces by using atomic force microscopy and nanoshaving experiments to determine roughness, thickness, and adhesion properties of BSA layers adsorbed on the most typical polar and non-polar ZnO single-crystal facets. These experiments are corroborated by force field (FF) and density-functional tight-binding (DFTB) calculations on ZnO-BSA interfaces. We show that BSA adsorbs on all the studied ZnO surfaces while interactions of BSA with ZnO are found to be considerably affected by the atomic surface structure of ZnO. BSA layers on the surface have the highest roughness and thickness, hinting at a specific upright BSA arrangement. BSA layers on surface have the strongest binding, which is well correlated with DFTB simulations showing atomic rearrangement and bonding between specific amino acids (AAs) and ZnO. Besides the structural properties, the ZnO interaction with these AAs also controls the charge transfer and HOMO-LUMO energy positions in the BSA-ZnO complexes. This ZnO facet-specific protein binding and related structural and electronic effects can be useful for improving the design and functionality of ZnO-based materials and devices.