IBM Photographs the Electric Charge in a Single Molecule
Where's the Charge? For the first time, Kelvin probe force microscopy shows how electrical charge is distributed in a single molecule. IBM Research This is a molecule, and the circles represent how the electrical charge is distributed inside it. It's a glimpse of the forces that bind molecules together, essentially. This picture is a major breakthrough for nanotechnologists - understanding how charge is arranged inside molecules could help research in anything from solar energy to biology. IBM researchers made this image using a new technique called Kelvin probe force microscopy, a different version of the more familiar atomic force microscopy that already gave us the first pictures of a molecule three years ago. When it hovers over the molecular sample, the tip of the probe creates an electric field, which can be measured. The researchers were able to determine the electrical charges of the molecule by looking at changes in this electric...