| Citation | Distinguished for his seminal contributions to the field of nanometre and atomic scale mechanics. He invented and developed the technique of nanoindentation, revolutionising the mechanical characterisation of ultra-small volumes of materials. This has impacted the thin film and coatings industry, the observation of novel nanomechanics, and the reliable determination of local properties required to model materials at larger scales. He was the first to introduce the concept of forces acting between tip and surface in Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy, which led directly to Binnig's invention of Atomic Force Microscopy, and to new STM imaging processes. Recently he has implemented a novel AC force modulated AFM that gives direct mapping of the strong, short-range interaction potential between tip and surface, and will lead to mechanical characterisation of single chemical bonds. |