Single-pass Kelvin force microscopy and dC/dZ measurements in the intermittent contact: applications to polymer materials

• Sergei Magonov and
• John Alexander

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 15–27, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.2

• interactions can be performed in the intermittent contact regime in different environments. Such combination provides sensitive detection of the surface potential and capacitance gradient with nanometer-scale spatial resolution as it was verified on self-assemblies of fluoroalkanes and a metal alloy. The KFM

• selective swelling of components. Keywords: atomic force microscopy; fluoroalkanes; Kelvin force microscopy; surface potential; Introduction Atomic force microscopy (AFM) applications include high-resolution imaging, probing of local materials properties and compositional mapping of heterogeneous

• contact mode and provide high-resolution maps of surface potential. This approach will be shortly described and its functionality will be proved by the results obtained on model systems: Self-assemblies of fluoroalkanes and metal alloys. The verification of novel approaches is specifically important in