Innovation, Research and Nobel Prizes...Where did the Modern Nanotechnology and Surface Science Field Come From?

April 2nd, 2020

Have you ever looked back over the history of our field? We have, and it is very interesting! Since our founder Professor Kai Siegbahn’s 1981 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contribution to the development of high-resolution electron spectroscopy, there have been many other outstanding successes in this field, including the work of Professor John C. Polanyi.

Professor Polanyi’s 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for developing research concepts in Gas-Phase Reaction Dynamics. Reaction Dynamics are intrinsically important to Surface Science and Nanotechnology because they explore the interplay between the material’s surface and the surrounding environment. Professor Polanyi has had a long career advancing research in many areas of Reaction Dynamics and is a champion of fundamental research. We are proud that Professor Polanyi’s team at the University of Toronto use Scienta Omicron products, including our Low Temperature Scanning Tunneling Microscope (LT STM) for their research.

The next 20 – 50 years of innovation will be just as interesting as the previous 50 years. This is due to newly emerging advancements in research equipment, including Materials Innovation Platform (MIP) systems, and new multi-disciplinary techniques that will allow researchers around the world to push the field further. The results of these advancements will create the technologies of the future, including smarter batteries, new materials, quantum computing, and areas we cannot even know yet!

Read more about Professor Polanyi’s work with the LT STM, or to learn more about Scienta Omicron’s SPMs.