By Center for Functional Nanomaterials Brookhaven
The Proximal Probes Facility consists of laboratories for microscopy, spectroscopy, and probing of nanostructured materials and their functional properties. At the core of the facility is a suite of instruments for in-situ microscopy and spectroscopy of surfaces and nanostructures under operating conditions, e.g., in reactive gases, or applied voltages at high or low temperatures. Unique instruments enable in-situ and operando studies of surface chemistry and catalysis at pressures from ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) to 5 bar via complementary scanning tunneling microscopy imaging, photoelectron and vibrational spectroscopy, coupled with real-time gas analysis. Several UHV systems are available for scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopy, as well as low-energy electron microscopy and synchrotron photoelectron microscopy. A UHV nanoprobe system allows electrical transport measurements on individual nanostructures. All of these instruments provide extensive capabilities for sample preparation and modification, and for routine characterization by diffraction and electron or ion spectroscopy techniques. In addition to complex UHV systems, powerful instruments are available for nanostructure characterization in air or controlled environments, including fluids. Each of these systems enables multiple measurement techniques, including scanning probe, optical microscopy, Raman microscopy, and spectroscopy, hence serving a broad range of user needs. A universal sample holder allows transfer of samples in a vacuum suitcase among the different facilities. - Low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and non-contact atomic force microscopy - Sub-nanometer resolution, real-time, surface spectroscopy and microscopy of dynamic surface processes - Ambient-pressure scanning probe microscopy and spectroscopy on model catalysts - In-situ transport measurements on nanostructures
