Application of micro- and nanoprobes to the analysis of small-sized 2D and 3D materials, nanocomposites, and nanoobjects

Current trends in and problems facing the development of the scanning nuclear microprobe are reviewed. The application of slow positrons to diagnosing materials is examined and the techniques of positron microscopy and microprobing are presented. The potential of near-field microwave microscopy for diagnosing superconducting ceramics and of microwave microscopy for nanotechnology applications are assessed. The examples given include the use of micro- and nanoprobes to analyze nanoobjects (such as green algae cells with 3D-distributed microelements, etc.), to develop the topological aspects of integrated microcircuits in nanoelectronics, and some other applications. The role of iron in pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease is highlighted, the latter being the subject of research in neurochemistry. Examples of the simultaneous usage of several micro- and nanoprobes for the analysis of nanocomposite (nanostructured) coatings based on nitrides with high hardness and nitrides of high-entropy alloys are shown.