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Scanning probe microscopy is a promising technique for real space imaging of solid surfaces with atomic resolution under various atmospheric conditions. These conditions include air, gas, liquid, and even a vacuum. Also, the scanning probe microscope allows the selective manipulation of single atoms on a solid surface. The photo below shows the atomic arrangement of the surface of a palladium crystalline in the growth process of a small metal particle on a solid surface (graphite). At high temperature deposition palladium was found to nucleate to crystallize and grow epitaxially along the (1 1 1) direction. The topmost layer of the palladium (1 1 1) surface exhibited a long periodic structure with a periodic length of about 2.7 nm. The periodic length exactly corresponds to a distance of 10 atoms. In addition, many research groups at the Institute are engaged in studies employing scanning probe microscopes to determine the surface structure of carbon nanotubes and organic thin films.
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