High resolution imaging of amorphous glass surfaces in liquid

Inspired by Kristen M. Burson et al.’s “Resolving amorphous solid-liquid interfaces by atomic force microscopy”, Applied Physics Letters 108, 201602 (2016); http://aip.scitation.org/doi/abs/10.1063/1.4949556, the scans below were made by Dr. Roger Proksch of Asylum Research using a NanoWorld Arrow UHF AFM probe and an Asylum Cypher Atomic Force Microscope.

Figure 1. Topography images of disordered lattice imaged at an amplitude setpoint of 2 nm. a) 10nm scan and b) 5nm scan. Both images clearly demonstrate sub-nm amorphous glass surface.
Figure 1. Topography images of disordered lattice imaged at an amplitude setpoint of 2 nm. a) 10nm scan and b) 5nm scan. Both images clearly demonstrate sub-nm amorphous glass surface.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 2. a) Surface topography and b) tip-sample stiffness of a region of the glass sample imaged using AMFM stiffness mapping. 10 nm scan
Figure 2. a) Surface topography and b) tip-sample stiffness of a region of the glass sample imaged using AMFM stiffness mapping. 10 nm scan

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Using blueDrive and the NanoWorld Arrow UHF AFM tip, it was also possible to simultaneously map the topography and tip-sample stiffness using AM-FM mode (Figure 2). Like Burson et al., a disordered-appearing surface, with length scales similar to those reported in that paper could be seen. Interestingly, these structures were visible with slightly different resolutions with every attempt made. This is a testament to the low noise of the Cypher AFM and to the reliable sharpness of the Arrow UHF cantilevers.

Courtesy of Dr. Roger Proksch, Asylum Research, an Oxford Instruments Company.

#afmprobes #afmtips #atomicforcemicroscopy #AFM

 

Sub-nanometer Resolution Imaging with Amplitude-modulation Atomic Force Microscopy in Liquid

Researchers from the Physics Department at Durham University demonstrate an imaging technique using Atomic Force Microscopy in their JoVE Engineering publication.

For each step, the authors have explained the scientific rationale behind their choices to facilitate the adaptation of the methodology to every user’s specific system.

The NanoWorld Arrow-UHF AFM probe for high speed AFM is also mentioned in this publication.

Ethan J. Miller, William Trewby, Amir Farokh Payam, Luca Piantanida, Clodomiro Cafolla, Kislon  Voïtchovsky, Sub-nanometer Resolution Imaging with Amplitude-modulation Atomic Force Microscopy in Liquid (2016), JoVE, 1940-087X, doi:10.3791/54924

https://www.jove.com/video/54924/sub-nanometer-resolution-imaging-with-amplitude-modulation-atomic

AM-AFM images of hard samples in fluid solutions
AM-AFM images of hard samples in fluid solutions. – figure from Sub-nanometer Resolution Imaging with Amplitude-modulation Atomic Force Microscopy in Liquid Jove.com – please refer to link above for the full article

 

Creative Commons Attribution
https://doi.org/10.3791/54924
Copyright © 2016 Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License

Zoom zoom: High speed AFM imaging

The NanoWorld Arrow UHF was mentioned in this blog article on Microscopy and Analysis http://www.microscopy-analysis.com/blog/blog-articles/zoom-zoom-high-speed-afm-imaging

NanoWorld Arrow UHF AFM tip for high speed atomic force microscopy
3D view of NanoWorld Arrow UHF AFM tip for high speed AFM