Professor Krim's group seeks to characterize and control the properties of films deposited or adsorbed on solid substrates. These films almost always exhibit properties which are distinct from those of the bulk material. Research areas of particular interest include atomic scale friction (nanotribology), nanometer scale patterning, and fractual scaling phenomena.

The experimental techniques utilized for these studies include scanning tunneling microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, synchrotron x-ray reflectivity, quartz crystal microweighing, and auger electron spectroscopy, all in conjunction with samples prepared in ultra-high vacuum conditions.

Ongoing research involves the use of gas absorption, x-ray reflectivity and scanning tunneling microscopy for nanometer-scale characterizations of static and dynamic scaling behaviors in vapor deposited films. Future efforts will focus on relating fractal scaling properties to selected physical properties (frictional coefficients, superfludity, etc.) of the materials under study.

• "Quartz Crystal Microweighing, invited review for Encyclopedia of Nanotechnology", J. W. Bender and J. Krim, manuscript in preparation
• "Bridging the Gap between Macro- and Nanotribology: A Quartz Crystal Microbalance Study of Extreme Environment Lubrication", M. Abdelmaksoud, J. Bender and J. Krim, Phys. Rev. Lett. (submitted)
• "Applications of the Piezoelectric Quartz Crystal Microbalance for Microbalance Development", J.W. Bender and J. Krim, (invited), K. Breuer ed., in press
• "Friction at Macroscopic and Microscopic Length Scales'', J. Krim, American J. Phys., 70, 890-897 (2002), invited Resource Letter
• "Nanotribology of a Vapor-Phase Lubricant: A Quartz Crystal Microbalance Study of Tricresylphosphate (TCP) uptake on Iron and Chromium," M. Abdelmaksoud, J. Bender and J. Krim, Tribology Letters, 13, (2002)