This research project, in the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, will develop the technique of Near Field Scanning Optical Microscopy for the characterization of the surface structure and chemistry of "soft" material surfaces. In addition to work on problems of instrument development, calibration of the scanning optical microscopy methodology will be carried out. Application of the method to a number of problems involving biological interfaces, membranes, and organic monolayers will be pursued. The development of a microscopic technique which can provide very high resolution structural information on these difficult surfaces, in combination with spatially resolved spectroscopic and chemical information, will have a very wide impact in the field of surface analysis and characterization. %%% The ability to characterize the structure of the surfaces of biological and macromolecular samples is crucial to the understanding of membrane processes and polymer properties. The research being carried out in this project will develop a promising new technique for the structural characterization of these "soft" material surfaces. This scanning optical microscopy method will have a great impact on the understanding of this important class of materials.
