Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Overview of Microscopy Techniques

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 Microscopy

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Resolving the Valence of Iron Oxides by Resonant Photoemission Spectroscopy.

The journal of physical chemistry letters·2025

Same author

Shapeshifting Nanocatalyst for CO<sub>2</sub> Conversion.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2025

Same author

Memsensing by surface ion migration within Debye length.

Nature materials·2025

Same author

Formation of hydrided Pt-Ce-H sites in efficient, selective oxidation catalysts.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2025

Same author

Spatially Enhanced Electrostatic Doping in Graphene Realized via Heterointerfacial Precipitated Metals.

Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)·2025

Same author

Author Correction: The role of manganese in CoMnO<sub>x</sub> catalysts for selective long-chain hydrocarbon production via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.

Nature communications·2025

Same journal

Innate Immunity of Framework Nucleic Acids.

Accounts of chemical research·2026

Same journal

High-Performance CH-Series Non-Fullerene Acceptors for Organic Photovoltaics.

Accounts of chemical research·2026

Same journal

Design Principles for Negative Thermal Expansion in Two-Dimensional Materials.

Accounts of chemical research·2026

Same journal

Main Group Redox Catalysis: New Frontiers with Germanium and Tin.

Accounts of chemical research·2026

Same journal

Taming Irreversibility in sp<sup>2</sup>-Carbon-Conjugated COFs from Polycrystalline Powders to Single Crystals and Thin Films.

Accounts of chemical research·2026

Same journal

Electroactive Imidazolium Ionic Liquids in Organic Synthesis.

Accounts of chemical research·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Hand Controlled Manipulation of Single Molecules via a Scanning Probe Microscope with a 3D Virtual Reality Interface

Hand Controlled Manipulation of Single Molecules via a Scanning Probe Microscope with a 3D Virtual Reality Interface

Published on: October 2, 2016

Catalytic reaction processes revealed by scanning probe microscopy. [corrected].

Peng Jiang¹, Xinhe Bao¹, Miquel Salmeron^2,3

¹†State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China.

Accounts of Chemical Research

|April 10, 2015

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) reveals atomic-scale details of catalytic reactions, crucial for developing efficient catalysts. This technique monitors adsorption, diffusion, and dynamic surface changes under reaction conditions.

More Related Videos

Microscopic Visualization of Porous Nanographenes Synthesized through a Combination of Solution and On-Surface Chemistry

Microscopic Visualization of Porous Nanographenes Synthesized through a Combination of Solution and On-Surface Chemistry

Published on: March 4, 2021

Probing C84-embedded Si Substrate Using Scanning Probe Microscopy and Molecular Dynamics

Probing C84-embedded Si Substrate Using Scanning Probe Microscopy and Molecular Dynamics

Published on: September 28, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Hand Controlled Manipulation of Single Molecules via a Scanning Probe Microscope with a 3D Virtual Reality Interface

Hand Controlled Manipulation of Single Molecules via a Scanning Probe Microscope with a 3D Virtual Reality Interface

Published on: October 2, 2016

Microscopic Visualization of Porous Nanographenes Synthesized through a Combination of Solution and On-Surface Chemistry

Microscopic Visualization of Porous Nanographenes Synthesized through a Combination of Solution and On-Surface Chemistry

Published on: March 4, 2021

Probing C84-embedded Si Substrate Using Scanning Probe Microscopy and Molecular Dynamics

Probing C84-embedded Si Substrate Using Scanning Probe Microscopy and Molecular Dynamics

Published on: September 28, 2016

Area of Science:

Heterogeneous catalysis
Surface science
Materials science

Background:

Catalytic reactions are vital for chemical production, energy, and environmental applications.
Understanding reaction mechanisms is key to improving catalyst performance (activity, selectivity, stability).
Catalyst surfaces undergo dynamic atomic-level changes during reactions.

Purpose of the Study:

To highlight the application of Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) in studying elementary catalytic reaction processes.
To demonstrate SPM's capability in providing atomic-scale insights into catalyst behavior.
To showcase how SPM advances understanding beyond traditional surface science methods.

Main Methods:

Utilizing Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM), including Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) and Noncontact Atomic Force Microscopy (NC-AFM).
Investigating adsorption, diffusion, reaction, and desorption elementary steps at the atomic level.
Monitoring dynamic surface processes like reconstruction, sintering, and phase separation under reaction conditions.

Main Results:

SPM provides atomic-resolution insights into reactant adsorption and diffusion on catalyst surfaces.
Dynamic surface changes (roughening, sintering, segregation) during reactions are observable with SPM.
SPM aids in identifying active sites and elucidating reaction mechanisms.

Conclusions:

SPM is a powerful tool for atomic-scale understanding of heterogeneous catalysis.
SPM, especially under realistic reaction conditions, offers unique advantages over other techniques.
Advancements in SPM, like NC-AFM and IETS, promise single-chemical-bond level characterization in catalysis.