2015 AAAS Annual Meeting (12-16 February 2015)

February 12 - 16, 2015

I See, Therefore I Can

Miniaturization is driving innovation in countless electronic products such as high-resolution displays, smartphones, and new battery/energy generation technologies. The game-changing possibilities arising from manipulating the fundamental building blocks of electronic devices or new pharmaceutical products at the nanometer scale are staggering. But how can technologists see what they are doing on such a small scale? The existing ultra-high resolution imaging instruments are very expensive and can have severe limitations. A new generation of noninvasive imaging instruments are needed to help researchers and technologists characterize complex 3D nanostructures and their chemical composition so that unique properties of nanowires, nanotubes, or graphene can then be better exploited. This work will drive innovation in areas such as development of more efficient and robust photovoltaic cells; early detection of subtle brain tissue changes due to Alzheimer’s disease; monitoring of therapeutic levels of drugs within cancer cells; and development of better production methods for volume-manufacturing at the nanoscale. This symposium highlights three projects looking at different approaches for nanoscopic imaging using electrons, X-rays, lasers, and microwaves. Their common aim is the non-destructive 3D imaging of structures and chemical composition with nanometer spatial resolution.