S

Scaffold

Three-dimensional biodegradable polymers engineered for cell growth.

Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM)

Experimental techniques used to image both organic and inorganic surfaces with (near) atomic resolution. Includes atomic force microscopes and scanning tunneling microscopes.

Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM)

A scanning probe microscopy instrument capable of revealing the structure of samples. The STM uses a sharp metal tip positioned over a conducting substrate with a small potential difference applied between them. The gap between the tip and substrate surface is small enough so that electrons can tunnel between the tip and the surface. The tip is then scanned across the surface and adjusted to keep a contact current flowing. By recording the tip height at each location a "map" of the sample surface is obtained.

Second-Harmonic Generation (SHG)

The light that results when a beam of monochromatic light hits an asymmetrical surface. The second harmonic light is at a frequency twice that of the incident light and allows the study of surface phenomena such as molecular adsorption, aggregation, and orientation as well as of buried interfaces.

Self-Assembled Monolayers (SAMs)

Monomolecular films that form or self-assemble after immersing a substrate into a solution of an active surfactant.

Self-assembly

At the molecular level, the spontaneous gathering of molecules into well-defined, stable, structures that are held together by intermolecular forces. In chemical solutions, self-assembly (also called Brownian assembly) results from the random motion of molecules and the affinity of their binding sites for one another. Self-assembly also refers to the joining of complementary surfaces in nanomolecular interaction. Developing simple, efficient methods to organize molecules and molecular clusters into precise, pre-determined structures is an important area of nanotechnology exploration.

Simulation

A broad collection of methods used to study and analyze the behavior and performance of actual or theoretical systems. Simulation provides a mechanism for predicting computationally useful functional properties of systems, including thermodynamic, thermochemical, spectroscopic, mechanical, and transport properties.

Single-molecule studies

The analysis of individual molecular properties in contrast with the study of bulk properties.

Single-source precursors

In materials science, the starting materials for semiconductor devices; powdered materials with uniform chemical composition throughout the mixture.

Sol-gel materials

Gels, glasses, and ceramic powders synthesized through the sol-gel process; organic-inorganic composite materials.

Sol-gel process

A chemical synthesis technique for preparing gels, glasses, and ceramic powders generally involving the use of metal alkoxides.

Solid-state reactions

Transformations that occur in and between solids and between solids and other phases to produce solids.

Substrate

A wafer that is the basis for subsequent processing operations in the fabrication of semiconductor devices.

Superconductor

An object or substance that conducts electricity with zero resistance.

Superhydrophobicity

Extreme water repellence. See hydrophobic effect.

Synthesis

Any process or reaction for building up a complex compound by the union of simpler compounds or elements.

Synthetic methods

Techniques for the design and creation of new materials in the laboratory.

T

Template

In cell and molecular biology, the macromolecular model for the synthesis of another macromolecule.

Template synthesis

The engineered design and creation of materials of controlled size, shape, and surface chemistry.

Thin film

A film one molecule thick; often referred to as a monolayer.

Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)

The use of electron high-energy beams to achieve magnification close to atomic observation. See electron microscopy.

U

UV/VIS (Ultraviolet-Visible) Spectroscopy/Spectrophotometry

Method to determine concentrations of an absorbing species in solution. This technique uses light in the visible and adjacent near ultraviolet (UV) and near infrared (NIR) ranges to achieve this quantitative analysis.

V

Vesicles

In cell biology, a relatively small and enclosed compartment, separated from the cytosol by at least one lipid bilayer. Vesicles store, transport, or digest cellular products and wastes.

W

Wetting

In electronics, coating a contact surface with an adherent film of mercury. In metallurgy, wetting refers to spreading liquid filler metal or flux on a solid base metal. Wetting occurs if a liquid is in contact with another phase, typically a solid substrate, with the substrate exerting an attractive force on the liquid molecules.

X

X-ray analysis

The use of X-ray radiation to detect heavy elements in the presence of lighter ones, to give critical-edge absorption to identify elemental composition, and to identify crystal structures by diffraction patterns.

X-ray diffraction

The scattering of x-rays from a crystal, resulting in an interference pattern used to determine the structure of the crystal.

Y

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Z

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