Establishing connections between the structure, physical and chemical traits on materials at the nanoscale is key to engineering devices and systems with enhanced performance. Local probes used in Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) play a critical role in accessing such information expanding both sensitivity and scope of probed materials properties. However, many challenges remain to offer tools that will be suitable to explore the fundamental science in complex heterogeneous and dynamically changing systems that are of high interest in tomorrow’s technology world.

The purpose of this symposium is to link the needs of materials scientists with the advanced knowledge of instrumentalists to conceive the next generation of platforms that are vital to foster scientific discoveries. The meeting will be the opportunity for discussions between champions in the field of SPM techniques both in terms of advancing the state of the art in instrumentations and in application of the new tools to advance the fundamental understanding of materials properties in various fields of science.

chemical composition defects nano-indentation nanoscale scanning probe microscopy (SPM) scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)