Nanotip scale

In the local microscopy s field, a large effort is dedicated to study the mechanical properties which can be accessed with a nanotip. Within this context, soft materials are well adapted to probe mechanical response at the nanometer scale. After a discussion of some experimental and technical key points, we present three different types of experiments done on one model polymer polystyrene films with different molecular weights. In the experiments, the tip may scan the sample surface (friction loops), or move upward and downward in the vicinity of the sample -in contact mode (force curve) or in an oscillating mode (approach-retract curves)-. The comparison of the results shows the sensitiveness of the tip to local mechanical properties. New routes to explore mechanical properties without touching the sample are proposed. 

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