Study
of Force Interactions between Nano/Micro/Particles and Surfaces
in Various Media
Professor
Sokolov and Ph.D. student Quy Ong are investigating the
force dependencies by means of the Atomic Force Microscopy
(AFM). The AFM allows measuring intermolecular forces with
very high precision in air, liquids, and in a vacuum. They
study such forces to improve chemical-mechanical planarization
(CMP), to enhance bacterial bioremediation, and to create
biosensors. See an example of measuring forces acting between
SiN AFM tips and a polyurethane pad used in CMP. (Figure
3). In addition Professor Sokolov and M.S. student Mike
McGuire are building an automatic extension to the AFM,
to allow for simultaneous measurements of topography and
electrical conductance/impedance of samples. The modified
AFM will be used to study molecular impedance and conductivity,
and electrical characteristics of nanowires.
For
more information about Professor Igor Sokolov and his research,
please call him at 315-268-2375 or send email to isokolov@clarkson.edu
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Self-Assembly
of Nanoporous Glasses for Optics and Material Science
Professor Sokolov and Ph.D. student Yaroslav Kievsky are studying
the self-assembly of nanoporous silica shapes for various
applications, including assembly of micro-lasers, advanced
optical fibers, and fibers for self-healing materials. For
example, the micro-lasers are self-assembled fibers that contain
molecules of laser organic dye inside the pores. Organic dye
lasers allow one to reach almost any wavelength in the near
optical range. At the same time, these lasers have a number
of problems. The main problems are the short life time and
low dye concentration. In their self-assembled system, each
dye molecule is separated from the other one by molecules
of surfactant preventing dimerization of the dyes. This allows
them to obtain a very high concentration of the dye, which
is impossible in just liquid. Furthermore, sealing the dye
inside glass prevents the dye from photo-oxidation during
the laser process. This will significantly prolong the lifetime
of the laser.
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