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New modes for subsurface atomic force microscopy through nanomechanical coupling

Nature Nanotechnology volume 5, pages 105–109 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Non-destructive, nanoscale characterization techniques are needed to understand both synthetic and biological materials. The atomic force microscope uses a force-sensing cantilever with a sharp tip to measure the topography and other properties of surfaces1,2. As the tip is scanned over the surface it experiences attractive and repulsive forces that depend on the chemical and mechanical properties of the sample. Here we show that an atomic force microscope can obtain a range of surface and subsurface information by making use of the nonlinear nanomechanical coupling between the probe and the sample. This technique, which is called mode-synthesizing atomic force microscopy, relies on multi-harmonic forcing of the sample and the probe. A rich spectrum of first- and higher-order couplings is discovered, providing a multitude of new operational modes for force microscopy, and the capabilities of the technique are demonstrated by examining nanofabricated samples and plant cells3,4.

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Figure 1: Probe–sample interaction in MSAFM.
Figure 2: Multiple orders coupling in frequency space during MSAFM.
Figure 3: Parameter dependence of selected -modes.
Figure 4: Analysis of cross-sections of fresh poplar wood with MSAFM.

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Acknowledgements

This research was sponsored by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) BioEnergy Science Center (BESC). The BioEnergy Science Center is a US Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Research Center supported by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research in the DOE Office of Science. We are indebted to J. Seokwon and A. Ragauskas at the Georgia Institute of Technology for providing the poplar wood samples. We also thank B. Davison and M. Keller at ORNL for their support and useful discussions. ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the US DOE under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6123, USA

    L. Tetard, A. Passian & T. Thundat

  2. Department of Physics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA

    L. Tetard, A. Passian & T. Thundat

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  1. L. Tetard
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  2. A. Passian
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L.T., A.P. and T.T. designed and carried out the experiments, and wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to A. Passian.

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Tetard, L., Passian, A. & Thundat, T. New modes for subsurface atomic force microscopy through nanomechanical coupling. Nature Nanotech 5, 105–109 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2009.454

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