Since the invention of the atomic force microscope (AFM), this technology has had profound implications in the study of material science and molecular biology. The ability to visualize and perform quantitative analysis of the nanoscale properties of surfaces has provided great insights into these nanoscale landscapes. The present dissertation manuscript exploits this technology for the measurement of charge transport through molecular films and the development of combinatorial force microscopy. Firstly, this work probed, for the first time, charge transport through molecular films derived from diazonium salts grafted to carbon electrodes using conductive atomic force microscopy. We found the charge transport properties of a molecular junction are dependent upon the chemical structure of the molecular film. We also investigated the effect of molecular film compression and deformation has on charge transport. In this, we observed increases in current densities associated with increases in applied load to the molecular film. Furthering these initial findings, PPF/NAB/Cu molecular junctions were fabricated having junction sizes ranging between micro-scale and nanoscale. The charge transport experiments reveal an agreement of electron transport properties between the metal deposited PPF/NAB/Cu junction and a PPF/NAB/Cu AFM tip junction at an applied load of approximately 60nN. This form of molecular layer charge transport control may potentially open new horizons for integration of molecular films into the microelectronics industry. This dissertation manuscript also describes the development of the quantitative interrogation opposing chemical libraries involved in combinatorial inverted atomic force microscopy. Tipless cantilevers were patterned with chemically modified nanorods. These modified nanorods were then used as chemical identifiers during a combinatorial force microscopy experiment and for the first time 16 interactions were monitored within one experiment in a continuous medium. Thus, providing excellent for the validation that combi-AFM is a truly quantitative high-throughput technology.

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Although many multi-component polymer systems are well characterised, the surface properties of polymers mixed with low surface energy additives have received little attention. In addition, the new branches of scanning probe microscopy that enable high resolution mapping and modification of surface charge distributions have been infrequently applied to polymer surfaces. The surface segregation of a fluorochemical additive directly from a polypropylene host matrix has been investigated by AFM and other surface analysis techniques. The level of surface enrichment was found to be governed by the temperature and duration of annealing. Further investigation revealed that the speed and extent of surface enrichment of the additive increases with polymer molecular weight. The effect of additive structure on surface segregation has also reported. A method of depositing charge onto polypropylene substrates from a high potential scanning AFM tip was developed. The relation between AFM tip- voltage and the level of charge deposited on the substrate suggested that a localised corona discharge was generated. AFM scanning parameters were found to effect the deposition of charge. The charging behavior of fluorochemical doped polypropylene surfaces was investigated on macroscopic scales using a scanning electrometer probe, and on microscopic scales using EFM. Fluorochemical domains at the surface have been found to preferentially accumulate both positive and negative charge. Surface charge distributions were found to become more uniform during annealing. Sub-micron particle capture by charged surfaces was investigated using EFM. In addition, spatially confined amine beads were deposited onto a patch of localised charge and subsequently functionalised to produce a metallic gold coating.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-131). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

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Thesis (PhD)-- University of South Australia, 1997

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 74-80).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2009. / Title from title screen (site viewed October 13, 2009). PDF text: xiii, 127, 11 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 6 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3352608. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Thesis (M.S.)--Worcester Polytechnic Institute. / Keywords: purple membrane; photomechanics; photoinduced conformation change; photocycle; photoactive; photoinduced; bimetallic bending; bacteriorhodopsin; atomic force microscope; tip-sample interface; molecular conformation; PLDS; photoreactive; AFM. Includes bibliographical references (p. E-1-E-4).