PChem Seminar – Matthew Beckman

About the event

Speaker: Matt Beckman

Group: Hipps-Mazur

Title: Mechanism and Application of Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

Abstract: Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) and Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy (STS) are uniquely powerful and versatile techniques for exploring the structural and electronic properties of surfaces. These techniques allow the user to observe molecules and surfaces with sub-molecular precision, determine the location of the HOMO/LUMO, dynamically observe molecular processes, and differentiate between structurally similar molecules, among numerous other applications. However, these techniques are relatively new compared to other analytical methods, and thus widespread understanding on the mechanism and application of STM and STS is somewhat limited. This seminar is aimed to provide students with a background in Chemistry or Physics at the graduate and undergraduate level to provide them with a deeper appreciation of the mechanism through which STM/STS operate, the information provided by the techniques, and the various kinds of chemical systems these techniques are applicable to examine.