(23c) Hands-On Teaching of Nanoscale Fundamentals with the Light Microscope Equivalent of This Century – Scanning Probe Microscopy

One of the most effective ways of introducing nanotechnology in science and engineering undergraduate curricula is hands-on teaching with the tools that precipitated nanoscience and nanotechnology, namely, scanning probe methods (SPM) such as scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and scanning force microscopy (SFM). Currently, key factors that hamper the use of SPM based educational modules in laboratory settings of 2-year and 4-year higher educational programs are

(1) the high capital costs to acquire multiple instruments that give every student access,

(2) limited support for maintaining laboratories, and

(3) the lack of time and experience to develop appropriate effective teaching modules that incorporate this new technology.

We have responded to the above needs by introducing a new paradigm for operating and maintaining SPM instrumentations to make resources more readily available. Further, we have developed and tested a variety of hands-on SPM undergraduate teaching modules, which we have made widely available electronically (http://depts.washington.edu/nanolab/NUE UNIQUE/NUE UNIQUE.htm).

Over the past three years, we have developed an effective teaching laboratory with leased top-notch equipment (scanning probe methods) providing true hands-on experience in authentic undergraduate laboratory settings. Thereby, we have been working with a SPM manufacturer with the intent to jump start a new paradigm for acquiring SPM teaching products for educational institutions.

Thus, the focus has been to develop teaching material and opportunities that are transferable and adaptable by most educational institutions. To date, we have run three successful undergraduate laboratory workshops, where students were able to have extensive hands-on experience on six SPM modes of operation including:

(i) electrostatic force microscopy involving photovoltaic polymeric materials,

(ii) tunneling microscopy and the determination of the workfunction,

(iii) modulation force microscopy with a glass transition analysis,

(iv) force-displacement analysis under controlled humidity conditions to distinguish capillary forces from Van der Waals interactions,

(v) non-contact force microscopy for protein adsorption studies in air and liquid environment,

(vi) SPM dip-pin nanolithography.

Student response surveys were conducted to ascertain perceived benefit and to determine whether or not program objectives were met. We found that these modules provided a truly hands-on experience in a classroom laboratory setting with a small student to instrument ratio of 4:1.

Further information and laboratory modules themselves are available at:http://depts.washington.edu/nanolab/NUE UNIQUE/NUE UNIQUE.htm.

*NUE UNIQUE was initiated by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0634088, and is supported by GEMSEC a NSF Material Science and Engineering Center at the University of Washington