The symposium "Recent Advances in Scanning Probe Microscopy of Polymers" held during the 220th American Chemical Society National Meeting in Washington DC in August 2000 focused on the latest advances in applications of SPM techniques for the study of polymeric and organic materials. The main topics consisted of SPM imaging of polymer morphology and microstructure, microtribological properties of polymers, micromechanical probing of polymers, microthermal imaging, studies of ultrathin and molecular organic and polymeric films, modeling of tip-surface interactions, chemical compositional analysis of heterogeneous materials, and SPM applications to industrial polymers. This volume of Macromolecular Symposia will be a valuable guide in the field of contemporary SPM studies of polymeric materials.

Scanning tunneling microscopy has achieved remarkable progress and become the key technology for surface science. This book predicts the future development for all of scanning probe microscopy (SPM). Such forecasts may help to determine the course ultimately taken and may accelerate research and development on nanotechnology and nanoscience, as well as all in SPM-related fields in the future.

The highlights of this book include an examination of the use of scanning probe microscopy to characterize a variety of polymeric materials, from polymer single crystals and molecular films to composites and biopolymers. The volume provides a synthesis of critical overviews and important new developments, including applications in atomic resolution, chemical force microscopy, and recognition/nanolithography. It includes a review of basic principles and operational modes, terminology, trends, and a discussion of key industrial applications, such as polymer fibers, polymer composites, and filled polymers. It also includes chapters on biopolymers and living cells and on methods for probing micromechanical properties.

This volume will be devoted to the technical aspects of electrical and electromechanical SPM probes and SPM imaging on the limits of resolution, thus providing technical introduction into the field. This volume will also address the fundamental physical phenomena underpinning the imaging mechanism of SPMs.

Scope of the Book Synthetic and natural polymers exhibit a complex structural and morphological hierarchy on multiple length scales [1], which determines their performance. Thus, research aiming at visualizing structure and morphology using a multitude of microscopy techniques has received considerable attention since the early days of polymer science and technology. Various well-developed techniques such as optical microscopy and different forms of electron microscopy (Scanning Electron Micr- copy, SEM; Transmission Electron Microscopy, TEM; Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy, ESEM) allow one to view polymeric structure at different levels of magni?cation. These classical techniques, and their applications to po- mers, are well documented in the literature [2, 3]. The invention of Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) inspired the devel- ment of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and other forms of scanning proximity microscopes in the late 1980s [4, 5]. AFM, unlike STM, can be used to image n- conducting specimens such as polymers. In addition, AFM imaging is feasible in liquids, which has several advantages. Using liquid imaging cells the forces between specimen and AFM probe are drastically reduced, thus sample damage is prevented. In addition, the use of water as imaging medium opened up new applications aiming at imaging, characterizing, and analyzing biologically important systems.

The volumes XI, XII and XIII examine the physical and technical foundation for recent progress in applied scanning probe techniques. These volumes constitute a timely comprehensive overview of SPM applications. Real industrial applications are included.

The volumes VIII, IX and X examine the physical and technical foundation for recent progress in applied scanning probe techniques. This is the first book to summarize the state-of-the-art of this technique. The field is progressing so fast that there is a need for a set of volumes every 12 to 18 months to capture latest developments. These volumes constitute a timely comprehensive overview of SPM applications.

Well-structured and adopting a pedagogical approach, this self-contained monograph covers the fundamentals of scanning probe microscopy, showing how to use the techniques for investigating physical and chemical properties on the nanoscale and how they can be used for a wide range of soft materials. It concludes with a section on the latest techniques in nanomanipulation and patterning. This first book to focus on the applications is a must-have for both newcomers and established researchers using scanning probe microscopy in soft matter research. From the contents: * Atomic Force Microscopy and Other Advanced Imaging Modes * Probing of Mechanical, Thermal Chemical and Electrical Properties * Amorphous, Poorly Ordered and Organized Polymeric Materials * Langmuir-Blodgett and Layer-by-Layer Structures * Multi-Component Polymer Systems and Fibers * Colloids and Microcapsules * Biomaterials and Biological Structures * Nanolithography with Intrusive AFM Tipand Dip-Pen Nanolithography * Microcantilever-Based Sensors