AVS 54th International Symposium
    Nanometer-scale Science and Technology Thursday Sessions
       Session NS-ThA

Invited Paper NS-ThA6
Albert Nerken Award Lecture - On Surface Analysis and Nanotechnology: A Personal Odyssey

Thursday, October 18, 2007, 3:40 pm, Room 616

Session: Nanoscale Sensors
Presenter: R.J. Colton, Naval Research Laboratory
Correspondent: Click to Email

This Albert Nerken Award address recounts some science and technology highlights of my career in areas of surface analysis and nanoscience—a personal odyssey on SIMS, SERS, STM, AFM, nanomechanics, molecular dynamics, and single molecule biosensing. This presentation will recount the early observation of cationized molecular ions, magic numbers in large inorganic ion clusters, and UHV-SERS (of pyridine on silver of course). Early STM and AFM work addressed the then mysterious graphite imaging mechanism and the usefulness (once realized) of tip-surface force interactions. Examples of just how useful these force measurements can be led to new technology for surface and molecular mechanics with the help of molecular dynamics simulation. But can you really make a single molecule biosensor? We’ll see. My presentation will close with a brief overview of NRL nanoscience programs on nanomaterials, nanoelectronics and nanosensors/devices.