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Related Concept Videos

Overview of Microscopy Techniques01:22

Overview of Microscopy Techniques

The early pioneers of microscopy opened a window into the invisible world of microorganisms. In 1830, Joseph Jackson Lister created an essentially modern light microscope. The 20th century saw the development of microscopes that leveraged nonvisible light, such as fluorescence microscopy that uses an ultraviolet light source and electron microscopy that uses short-wavelength electron beams. These advances significantly improved magnification, image resolution, and contrast. By comparison, the...
Atomic Force Microscopy01:08

Atomic Force Microscopy

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a type of scanning probe microscopy that can analyze topographic details of various specimens like ceramics, glass, polymers, and biological samples. AFM offers over 1000 times more resolution than the optical imaging system. Images generated from AFM are three-dimensional surface profiles, offering an advantage over the flat, two-dimensional images from other imaging techniques.
The AFM Probe
The probe is regarded as the heart of any AFM setup and comprises the...
Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction01:07

Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) can be used to determine the 3D structure of biological samples with the help of techniques such as electron microscope tomography and single-particle reconstruction. While single-particle reconstruction can examine macromolecules and macromolecular complexes in vitro conditions only, tomography permits the study of cell components or small cells in vivo.
Electron Tomography
Electron tomography can be performed either in TEM or STEM (scanning transmission...
Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy01:37

Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy

Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (SRFM) provides a better resolution than conventional fluorescence microscopy by reducing the point spread function (PSF). PSF is the light intensity distribution from a point that causes it to appear blurred. Due to PSF, each fluorescing point appears bigger than its actual size, and it is the PSF interference of nearby fluorophores that causes the blurred image. Various approaches to achieving higher resolution through SRFM have recently been developed.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Scanning-probe Single-electron Capacitance Spectroscopy
10:53

Scanning-probe Single-electron Capacitance Spectroscopy

Published on: July 30, 2013

Single-molecule chemistry and physics explored by low-temperature scanning probe microscopy.

Ingmar Swart1, Leo Gross, Peter Liljeroth

  • 1Institute for Experimental and Applied Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.

Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
|May 18, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Scanning probe microscopy, including scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), provides atomic-scale insights into molecular structures. Modern techniques enable chemical analysis at the single-molecule level.

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Last Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Scanning-probe Single-electron Capacitance Spectroscopy
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All-electronic Nanosecond-resolved Scanning Tunneling Microscopy: Facilitating the Investigation of Single Dopant Charge Dynamics
11:33

All-electronic Nanosecond-resolved Scanning Tunneling Microscopy: Facilitating the Investigation of Single Dopant Charge Dynamics

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Probing the Structure and Dynamics of Interfacial Water with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy
10:28

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Area of Science:

  • Surface science
  • Nanotechnology
  • Physical chemistry

Background:

  • Scanning probe techniques like STM and AFM routinely provide atomic-scale geometric and electronic structure information of solids.
  • Recent advancements in STM and non-contact AFM allow high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy of individual molecules on surfaces.
  • This enables the study of chemistry and physics at the single-molecule level.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the physical concepts behind image contrast in STM and AFM.
  • To highlight key experimental considerations for single-molecule studies.
  • To demonstrate the capability of low-temperature scanning probe microscopy for chemical insight at the single-molecule level.

Main Methods:

  • Review of physical principles of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM).
  • Focus on non-contact AFM and advanced STM techniques.
  • Utilisation of low-temperature environments for enhanced resolution and stability.

Main Results:

  • Detailed explanation of image contrast mechanisms in STM and AFM.
  • Demonstration of high spatial resolution for imaging and spectroscopy of single molecules.
  • Examples showcasing chemical insights obtainable at the single-molecule level using modern SPM.

Conclusions:

  • Modern scanning probe microscopy offers unprecedented capabilities for single-molecule analysis.
  • Understanding image contrast is crucial for interpreting SPM data.
  • Low-temperature SPM is a powerful tool for investigating molecular chemistry and physics.