Getting Physical with Your Chemistry:Mechanically Investigating Local Structure and Properties of Surfaces with the Atomic Force Microscope

摘要

The atomic force microscope(AFM)(1)has emerged as a powerful tool for investigating nanoscale structures,dynamics,and forces at interfaces.AFM has matured dramatically in the almost 20-year history of the instrument.As an imaging tool,the strength of the instrument lies in its exceptionally high contrast and fairly high resolution,combined with its ability to function in environments from ultrahigh vacuum to liquid solutions.Because the single-atom and single-molecule contrast originates from picoNewton inter-molecular forces,the AFM can investigate mechanically the chemical properties of individual molecules,surfaces,and materials using suitably designed probes.