TEM Meets STM: From Individual Carbon Nanotube Manipulation to In-Situ Device Physics
by
Nikola Tesla Training Room
ALBA Synchrotron
Abstract
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) enables atomic-resolution imaging of nanostructures, while scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) provides local probing and manipulation capabilities. Bridging these two techniques in a single ultra-high vacuum (UHV) environment forms a versatile nanolab for dynamic in situ experiments that go beyond static observation. In this talk, I will demonstrate how our TEM–STM platform advances carbon nanotube (CNT) and 2D nanomaterial research. We have developed reliable protocols for controlled cutting, peeling, and welding of individual multiwall CNTs, establishing the fabrication of nanotube-based probes and hybrid nanostructures. Building on this foundation, by precisely positioning silver nanoparticles on CNT resonators, we quantify resonance frequency shifts, validating continuum models at the nanometer scale. Real-time visualization of molten silver absorption into CNTs further confirms classical nanoscale wetting phenomena. Extending these capabilities, CNT field-effect transistors (CNFETs) have been fabricated and characterized within the TEM using an STM gold tip as a movable local gate. Additionally, the talk will also explore the search for potential room-temperature superconductivity through two in situ experiments: cyclic telescoping of multiwall CNTs and conductivity mapping of few-layer MoS₂. Together, these studies highlight how combining direct imaging with controlled nanoscale manipulation can transform our ability to interrogate and engineer nanomaterials.
InCAEM Project
