picoForce Laboratory ---- Riedo MOVED TO NY! ---- Visit us at ------ http://picoforcelab.org

Nanometer scale mechanical, chemical and physical properties of materials and Liquid-Solid Interfaces. The focus is to understand and design structure-chemistry-function at the nanoscale.

Progress in nanotechnology depends on the capability to fabricate, position, and investigate nanometer-scale structures. Thermochemical nanolithography, TCNL, was invented in this laboratory in 2007. TCNL uses a localized source of heat to activate a chemical reaction and fabricate micro- and nano-structures of a variety of materials and functionalizations, e.g., for biomedical applications, 2D materials nanopatterning, and designing magnetic and optical metamaterials.

In the picoForce lab we also perform pioneer studies on the elasticity/friction of 1D and 2D materials, and the viscoelasticity of nanoconfined water. To relate the size, shape, chemistry and structure of nano-materials/molecules with their mechanical properties we have developed some powerful new AFM based methods, such as AFM-Nanorheology and Modulated Nano-Indentation (MoNI).

For news from the Soft-Materials Community .. click!

Nature Communications: Viscosity, Wettability and Slip in Nanoconfined water

Nature Nanotechnology: Scanning Probe Lithography

Science: TCNL of Graphene Oxide

Nature Materials: Friction and Rolling of Nanotubes

Nature Materials: Epitaxial Graphene Oxide