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nanotimes News in Brief

10-07/08 :: July/August 2010

tremely time-consuming process,” said Leo Gross, scientist, IBM Research Zurich. “This technique demonstrates that scanning probe microscopes can add powerful functionality and speed in identifying the structure of molecules which are challenging to resolve with conventional techniques.” The experiment was the first successful use of an AFM in the determination of, what was at the time, an unknown molecular structure.

L. Gross, F. Mohn, N. Moll, G. Meyer, R. Ebel, W. M. Abdel-Mageed and M. Jaspars: Organic structure deter- mination using atomic-resolution scanning probe mi- croscopy, In: Nature Chemistry AOP, August 01, 2010, DOI:10.1038/NCHEM.765: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/NCHEM.765

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ibm_research_zurich/ sets/72157624273503313/detail/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN5ydDqw1VA

A research team at the Max Planck Institute for Bi- ophysical Chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Me- dical Research, Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, the European XFEL, Göttingen University, and the German Electron Synchrotron (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY) succeeded in using free electron laser radiation for examining chemi- cal crystal structures. The images were taken with the free electron laser FLASH at DESY. As the expe- riments show, structural snapshots of the molecules can be displayed without artifacts – despite high intensity of the X-ray laser.

Schematic design of the diffraction experiment with the free electron laser FLASH in Hamburg. Soft X-rays (radia- tion with a wave length of 7nm) were used in the experi- ment. The periodical properties of fatty acid type nano- crystals and their structural changes under the influence of free electron laser radiation were made possible with the free electron laser. © Techert / MPIbp