Polystyrene microparticles can be investigated by using a scanning tunneling microscope. The
observed images show the hydrogen atoms on the phenyl groups and the extended polymer chains
without entanglement. After a sustained tip scanning, some of the polystyrene surfaces develop a
highly ordered structure. Furthermore, the polymerization of styrene monomers can be initiated by
the tip field, to form nanometer-scale polystyrene films on graphite substrates, in air at room
temperature. The yield was verified by time-of-flight secondary ion-mass spectroscopy. © 1997
American Vacuum Society. @S0734-211X~97!01504-7#