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By definition, nanotechnology is so small that the human eye cannot hope to visualize it without major help from the most advanced microscopes. During our lecture today, we learned about visualizing objects in the nanoscale. Because the wavelength of light is longer than a couple hundred nanometers, traditional light microscopes are not capable of picking up nanoscale objects. To do that, scientists require the help of expensive and powerful electron microscopes. These microscopes fire electrons, which have extremely short wavelengths that can even help to visualize atoms, at their targets and are able to produce ultra detailed images. Scanning electron microscopes are used to look at the outside of an object while transmission electron microscopes are used to peer deep into objects.
Another device used to see objects with nanoscopic detail is the atomic force microscope, which technically isn’t a microscope at all. It is a sharp point, balance by gravity and van der waals forces, that is taken across an object, determining its shape after many sweeps. A metaphor for it is like a blind person feeling around for shapes.
measurements for these devices need to be ultra precise so these machines float on a cushion of air to eliminate vibrations
Using the same mechanism, atomic force microscopes can be used to move around individual atoms
Although optical microscopes cannot see nanosized objects they can be very useful in visualizing how nano sized particles move around, if the particles are coated with a florescent dye. Using different dyes, one can distinguish which particles traveled to which specific part in biological organisms
http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6268222/claims.html
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/physics/microscopes/tem/index.html
http://www.nanoscience.com/education/AFM.html
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/physics/microscopes/fluorescence/index.html