Nanoscience under extreme forces

At the atomic level matter can be modified by the application of large forces in particular by large external electrostatic fields. In such fields chemical effects come into play because the electronic orbitals get distorted to such a degree that the chemical characteristics of an atom or molecule become altered. In this way, new pathways in chemical reactions may be established. Examples of technological relevance are field evaporation in the field ion microscope that is used in Atom Probe Tomography (APT) to map the composition of an alloy atom by atom and layer by layer. The quantum mechanical theory of field evaporation of metals was developed in the late 1980s by my group and others. Recently it has become of interest to use ATP for the study of oxides. However, as an expert in the field, Bernard Deconihout, recently stated "Although APT has provided a large number of results on a wide panel of materials, interpretation of 3D images are sometimes difficult due to a lack in the understanding of the different evaporation mechanisms involved in semiconductors and oxides". We will make a systematic study of APT for insulators, in particular oxides. The benefits to APT will be substantial as our recent pilot project on MgO already showed.Extreme forces in nanoscience are also found in confined geometries such as polymer films under high pressure and proton wires in membrane pores. The interest for such a study in biology on the one hand and in paint coatings as well should be followed up.Extreme forces are also needed to break and make bonds is the attachment and detachment of cells in blood vessels and stents by hydrodynamic shear forces relevant to biology, medicine, and biofouling of ships.