MRI/RUI: Acquisition of an Atomic Force Microscope at Mount Holyoke College

Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley MA

Investigators

Abstract

With support from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program, the Department of Chemistry at Mount Holyoke College will acquire an atomic force microscope (AFM). This equipment will be used to explore (a) the impact of surface topography on wettability; (b) the effect of surface chemistry and energetics on protein adsorption using a combinatorial approach; (c) the structure and interactions of microbes at interfaces; and (d) donor-acceptor interactions in matched component systems. Chemistry is a scientific discipline that studies structure and processes at the molecular scale. In the past, chemists learned to examine and elucidate molecular events by performing collective spectroscopy, that is, measuring average properties from solution or solid-state experiments. Modern techniques, including AFM, allow measurements at a much faster and smaller scale. AFM allows the direct observation and understanding of molecular events occurring in chemical and biological processes, enables the correlation of microscopic structures to macroscopic properties, and permits the design of materials with nanoscopic features. These studies will have an impact in a number of areas, including surface and organic chemistry, materials science and biochemistry.