Two Simple Classroom Demonstrations for Scanning Probe Microscopy Based on a Macroscopic Analogy

• Autores: Zdenka Hajkova, Antonin Fejfar, Petr Smejkal
• Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 90, Nº 3, 2013, págs. 361-363
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This article describes two simple classroom demonstrations that illustrate the principles of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) based on a macroscopic analogy. The analogy features the bumps in an egg carton to represent the atoms on a chemical surface and a probe that can be represented by a dwarf statue (illustrating an origin of the prefix "nano"), a plastic bottle, or a glass. The demonstrations allow students to visualize certain physical aspects of SPM, such as probing "hilly" atoms on a surface using changes in distance between probe and atoms. Both demonstrations are appropriate to introduce SPM into high school or undergraduate science education.