Laboratory atomic force microscopy

The most frequently applied technique for determination of the topography of structures on solid substrates are scanning force microscopy (SFM) methods [182], which allow for obtaining precise (with a few A resolution) images. Presently, the atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique is a basic tool in laboratories for... 

Atomic force microscopy was used in the indentation mode to measure the cantilever deflection. With several assumptions described in the text (see section LB), the local elasticity can be inferred. The range of Young s moduli reported by several research groups ( indicates measurements from our laboratory) should be noted and may be attributed to different cell types as well as not identical experimental conditions. 

The student should be aware that there is another class of surface analysis instruments based on analytical microscopy, including scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and scanning tunneling microscopy. A discussion of these microscopy techniques is beyond the scope of this chapter. Most industrial materials characterization laboratories will have some combination of electron spectroscopy. X-ray analysis, surface mass spectrometry, and analytical microscopy instrumentation available, depending on the needs of the industry. 

Template synthesis is a relatively simple and easy procedure which has made the fabrication of rather sophisticated nanomaterials accessible to almost any laboratory. Template synthesis reqnires access to instmmentation capable of metal sputtering and electrochemical deposition. The characterization of the fabricated nanostructures can be done using instmmental techniques including spectrophotometry, voltanunetry, optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and electronic microscopies (scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)). 

The chapter is organized as follows. Section 8.2 provides a short reminder of what acoustic shear waves can and cannot do. Shear waves have distinct advantages (compared to other surface anal3Ttical techniques like optical reflectometry or atomic force microscopy [AFM]), but there are also some caveats to be kept in mind. Section 8.3 briefly summarizes some predictions from simple planar models of slip. An experimental result, which stands as an example for an experience in the authors laboratory, is presented in section 8.4. Section 8.5 provides the results from FEM calculations. Section 8.6 discusses nonlinear phenomena and acoustic streaming, in particular. 

Although STM was invented first, most progress in scanning probe microscopy of polymers has concerned atomic force microscopy. AFM is now established as an advanced microscopic tool in many academic and industrial laboratories for the study of heterogeneous surfaces. Since the first visualisation of a macromolecule, the technique has been used with great success to image polymers [307]. Nowadays, polymer scientists are solving more problems with AFMs than with any other microscopic technique. For soft materials with elastic moduli of a few GPa or lower, such as polymers, minimisation of force interactions between the AFM tip and the... 

Culliford SJ, Borg JJ, O Brien MJ, Kozlowski RZ (2004) Differential effects of pyrethroids on volume-sensitive anion and organic osmolyte pathways. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 31 134-144 Danker T, Mazzanti M, Tonini R, Rakowska A, Oberleithner H (1997) Using the atomic force microscopy to investigate patch-clamped nuclear membrane. Cell Biol Int 21 747-757 Davies B, Morris T (1993) Physiological parameters in laboratory animals and humans. Pharm Res (NY) 10 1093-1095... 

With the advent of atomic force microscopy (AFM), in which the force between a molecular sized probe and a surface is monitored (see In the laboratory 9.2), it has become possible to measure directly the forces acting between molecules. The force, F, is the negative slope of the potential energy (F = -dWdr), so for a Lennard-Jones potential between individual molecules we write... 

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