1 0 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 | O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 they call 3DTIPs. The new 3DTIPs, which are manufactured using a single-step 3D printing process, can be utilized for a wider variety of applications—and potential observations and discoveries—than standard, more limited silicon-based probes that are presently considered state-of-the-art. The researchers demonstrated their proprietary technology for producing next-generation AFM probes based on two-photon polymerization 3D printing. The resulting 3DTIPs are softer than their silicon-based counterparts, making them more suitable for AFM applications involving gentler interactions with cells, proteins, and DNA molecules. Importantly, the material properties of 3DTIPs make it possible to achieve scans that are more than 100 times faster than regular silicon probes of similar dimensions. Therefore, 3DTIPs might open the door for acquiring videos that capture bioactivities of proteins, DNA, and even smaller molecules in real time. “We have developed a novel technology for next-generation AFM probes with new materials, improved designs and production processes, novel shapes in 3D, and customized prototyping for a seamless production cycle for application-focused AFM probes,” says lead researcher Mohammad Qasaimeh. “The ability to generate customized AFM probes with innovative 3D designs in a single step provides endless multidisciplinary research opportunities.” TESTING | CHARACTERIZATION ATOMIC-LEVEL TRANSFORMATIONS Scientists at Binghamton University, N.Y., are using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to examine oxide-to-metal transformation at the atomic level. They’re especially interested in the mismatch dislocations that are ever-present at the interfaces in multiphase materials and play a key role in dictating structural and functional properties. In the new work, researchers used their advancedmethod to test the transformation of copper oxide to copper. By using environmental TEM techniques capable of introducing hydrogen gas into the microscope to drive the oxide reduction while simultaneously performing TEM imaging, the research team was able to atomically monitor the interfacial reaction. Notably, they observed that the transformation from copper oxide to copper occurs in an intermittent manner because it is temporarily stopped by mismatch dislocations. A back-andforth process between experiments and computer modeling helped researchers understand howmisfit dislocations control the long-range transport of atoms needed for the phase transformation. This fundamental information could prove useful in designing new types of multiphase materials and controlling their microstructure, which can be used in diverse applications such as load-bearing structural mater- ials, electronic fabrication, and catalytic reactions for clean energy production and environmental sustainability. binghamton.edu. 3D ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY PROBES A research team out of NYU Abu Dhabi created new atomic force microscopy (AFM) probes in true 3D shapes Based on new experiments on lanthanum superhydride with impurities, researchers at Skoltech, Russia, along with a team of international scientists, established the mechanism behind the highest-temperature superconductivity in polyhydrides observed to date. The discovery could lead to development of materials that conduct electricity with zero resistance at or close to room temperature. www.skoltech.ru/en. Park Systems Corp., Korea, acquired Accurion GmbH, Germany, a manufacturer of imaging spectroscopic ellipsometers and active vibration isolation products. The acquisition adds to Park’s portfolio of atomic force microscopy and white-light interferometric microscopy. parksystems.com. BRIEFS Guangwen Zhou, professor of mechanical engineering at the Watson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, led the copper study. Courtesy of Jonathan Cohen.
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