Atomic-Scale Investigation of Nanomaterials by Means of Scanning Tunne…

In recent years, understanding physical and chemical properties of nanoscale materials such as nanotube, nanocrystals, and nanowires has been at the center of intense research efforts of people. The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is a versatile and powerful tool for studying nanoscale phenomena. Especially, the STM is quite a useful means for the research in the field of materials science. It enables us to observe and manipulate single atoms and molecules as well as to understand fundamental quantum phenomena. In this presentation, I will briefly introduce our STM results regarding unique properties of nanomaterials probed by means of STM. We found the modified local electronic structure of a single-walled carbon nanotube, which give rise to quantum confinement in the form of periodic array inside the tube. We also found an unprecedented role of ultrathin MgO films in chemical reactions, which is not available on bulk MgO. These results show how local interactions among nanomaterials affect their microscopic behavior, and how quantum mechanical effects might influence the behavior of nanodevice in small dimension.