November AMP_Digital

A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 1 1 the most sensitive parts of flexible elec- tronics components. Applications in biomedical devices can help extend the life of critical components by allowing them to subtly stretch. The researchers credit the increas- ing precision of additive manufacturing and its ability to print ever-smaller fea- tures with making the production of the membranes possible. binghamton.edu . NEW MICROSCOPE OFFERS SCIENTIFIC TWOFER Using an atomic force-Raman mi- croscope, researchers at the University of Delaware (UD), Newark, can now ex- amine at high resolution airborne tox- ic pollutants, single strands of DNA, and microscopic paint samples, amongmul- tiple other uses. The microscope, now housed at UD’s Lammot du Pont Lab- oratory, affords scientists the capability to drive research forward in a wide array of fields. This new tool is a “scientific twofer,” combining two microscopes in one, the features of a Raman instru- ment and an atomic force microscope. A Raman microscope can scan a sample with a laser, interacting with the vibrations of the molecule of interest, scattering the light; these light patterns serve as “fingerprints” for identifying the molecules and for studying their chemical bonds and degree of interac- tivity with other molecules. An atomic force microscope scans a sample using a small probe that yields information about the surface, such as its topography, hardness, electrical, and thermal properties. Combining both techniques within a single microscope delivers a trove of information simultaneously. This is important for a number of studies across the University and with industry collaborators. udel.edu. Professor Karl Booksh helped UD acquire the new atomic force-Ramanmicroscope. Courtesy of University of Delaware.