Subsurface nanometrology: Probing hidden materials via atomic force microscopy

, reviews leading work in subsurface nanometrology, the science of internal measurement at the nanoscale level, and suggests quantum sensing could become the foundation for the field's next era of discoveries. Potential applications could range from mapping intracellular structures for targetedto characterizing quantum materials and nanostructures for the advancement of quantum computing.

"Our goal was to define the state of the art and to consider what's been done and where we need to go," said Ali Passian, an ORNL senior research scientist and senior author of the study. "Everybody wants to know what's below the surface of materials, but finding out what's really there tends to be incredibly challenging at any scale. We hope to inspire a new generation of scientists to tackle this challenge by exploitingor whatever the most promising opportunities may be, so we can push the boundaries of sensing and imaging science toward greater discoveries and understanding.

Particles at the nanoscale act as the building blocks of quantum science—just small enough to enable scientists to tweak major properties of materials with maximum precision. One nanometer equals a billionth of a meter, a millionth of a millimeter and a thousandth of a micrometer. The average sheet of paper, for example, runs about 100,000 nanometers thick.

Passian and co-author Amir Payam of Ulster University suggest the nanoscale level may be not only where intricate molecular assemblies of biological systems such as cell membranes form but also where the dimensions of emerging materials such as metasurfaces and

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