9452185 Niederriter The focus of this grant is the creation of new experiments for our course, The Physics and Chemistry of Materials. This course brings together students who are majoring in chemistry and in physics and has them explore the science and technologies of materials. The laboratory exercises are designed to bridge the gap between chemistry and physics by bringing out aspects of both disciplines and having students synthesize their experiences by sharing their backgrounds in both chemistry and physics. Three new experiments will be performed with equipment provided for this project, which include two ultra-high vacuum stations and a scanning tunneling microscope system. The experiments to be performed include a study of the effects of oxygen plasma on polymer surfaces, vapor deposition of metallic films, and a scanning tunnelling microscope study of metal and semiconductor surfaces. Students will be taught vacuum techniques, contact angle measurements, reflectance and transmission spectroscopy, electrical resistance measurements, and scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. This project will also have an impact on other courses in the Chemistry and Physics Programs and on student-faculty research.
