Fluid force microscopy combines the positional accuracy and force sensitivity of an atomic force microscope (AFM) with nanofluidics via a microchanneled cantilever. However, adequate loading and cleaning procedures for such AFM micropipettes are required for various application situations. Here, a new frontloading procedure is described for an AFM micropipette functioning as a force- and pressu...

Images and force measurements taken by an atomic-force microscope ( AFM) depend greatly on the properties of the spring and tip used to probe the sample’s surface. In this article, we describe a simple, nondestructive procedure for measuring the force constant, resonant frequency, and quality factor of an AFM cantilever spring and the effective radius of curvature of an AFM tip. Our procedure u...

A new atomic force microscope (AFM) that operates in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) is described. The sample is held fixed with spring clamps while the AMF cantilever and deflection sensor are scanned above it. Thus, the sample is easily coupled to a liquid nitrogen cooled thermal reservoir which allows AFM operation from ≈ 100 K to room temperature. AFM operation above room temperature is also possibl...

Surface deformation and fracture processes of materials under external force are important for understanding and developing materials. Here, a combined horizontal universal mechanical testing machine (HUMTM)-atomic force microscope (AFM) system is developed by modifying UMTM to combine with AFM and designing a height-adjustable stabilizing apparatus. Then the combined HUMTM-AFM system is evalua...

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a novel technique for skin characterization. OBJECTIVES To develop AFM tests for characterization of the outermost epidermis layer, corneocytes. As an example, the effect of moisturizer on the corneocyte properties is studied. METHODS AND MATERIALS Topology, rigidity, and friction (between individual corneocytes and AFM probe) of the top l...

A phase transition from metallic AFM-b antiferromagnetic state to Mott insulating G-type antiferromagnetic (G-AFM) state was found in Ca3(Ru(1-x)Ti(x))2O7 at about x = 0.03 in our previous work. In the present, we focused on the study of the magnetic transition near the critical composition through detailed magnetization measurements. There is no intermediate magnetic phases between the AFM-b a...

We demonstrate the application of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) for mapping optical near-fields with nanometer resolution, limited only by the AFM probe geometry. By detecting the optical force between a gold coated AFM probe and its image dipole on a glass substrate, we profile the electric field distributions of tightly focused laser beams with different polarizations. The experimentally reco...

The Frequency Modulated Atomic Force Microscope (FM-AFM) is a powerful tool to perform surface investigation with true atomic resolution. The control system of the FM-AFM must keep constant both the frequency and amplitude of oscillation of the microcantilever during the scanning process of the sample. However, tip and sample interaction forces cause modulations in the microcantilever motion. A...

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has become an important medical and biological tool for non-invasive imaging and measuring the mechanical changes of cells since its invention by Binnig et al. AFM can be used to investigate the mechanical properties of cellular events in individual living cells on a nanoscale level. In addition, the dynamic cellular movements induced by biochemical activation of s...

Contact resonance atomic force microscopy (CR-AFM) methods currently utilize the eigenvalues, or resonant frequencies, of an AFM cantilever in contact with a surface to quantify local mechanical properties. However, the cantilever eigenmodes, or vibrational shapes, also depend strongly on tip-sample contact stiffness. In this paper, we evaluate the potential of eigenmode measurements for improv...