Abstract
Polymeric thin films have been awakening continuous and growing interest for application in nanotechnology. For such applications, the assessment of their (nano)mechanical properties is a key issue, since they may dramatically vary between the bulk and the thin film state, even for the same polymer. Therefore, techniques are required for the in situ characterization of mechanical properties of thin films that must be nondestructive or only minimally destructive. Also, they must also be able to probe nanometer-thick ultrathin films and layers and capable of imaging the mechanical properties of the sample with nanometer lateral resolution, since, for instance, at these scales blends or copolymers are not uniform, their phases being separated. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been proposed as a tool for the development of a number of techniques that match such requirements. In this review, we describe the state of the art of the main AFM-based methods for qualitative and quantitative single-point measurements and imaging of mechanical properties of polymeric thin films, illustrating their specific merits and limitations.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.










References
- 1.
Setter N, Damjanovic D, Eng L, Fox G, Gevorgian S, Hong S et al (2006) Ferroelectric thin films: review of materials, properties, and applications. J Appl Phys 100:051606
- 2.
Ozaydin-Ince G, Coclite AM, Gleason KK (2012) CVD of polymeric thin films: applications in sensors, biotechnology, microelectronics/organic electronics, microfluidics, MEMS, composites and membranes. Rep Prog Phys 75:016501
- 3.
Tsui OKC, Russell TP (eds) (2008) Polymer thin films. World Scientific
- 4.
Tamburri E, Orlanducci S, Guglielmotti V, Reina G, Rossi M, Terranova ML (2011) Engineering detonation nanodiamond - Polyaniline composites by electrochemical routes: structural features and functional characterizations. Polymer 52:5001–5008
- 5.
Tamburri E, Sarti S, Orlanducci S, Terranova ML, Rossi M (2011) Study of PEDOT conductive polymer films by admittance measurements. Mat Chem Phys 125:397–404
- 6.
Dokukin ME, Sokolov I (2012) On the measurements of rigidity modulus of soft materials in nanoindentation experiments at small depth. Macromolecules 45:4277–4288
- 7.
Torres JM, Stafford CM, Vogt BD (2009) Elastic modulus of amorphous polymer thin films: relationship to the glass transition temperature. ACS Nano 3:2677–2685
- 8.
Mansfield KF, Theodorou DN (1991) Molecular dynamics simulation of a glassy polymer surface. Macromolecules 24:6283–6294
- 9.
Torres JM, Stafford CM, Vogt BD (2010) Manipulation of the elastic modulus of polymers at the nanoscale: influence of UV-ozone cross-linking and plasticizer. ACS Nano 4:5357–5365
- 10.
Huang R, Stafford CM, Vogt BD (2007) Effect of surface properties on wrinkling of ultrathin films. J Aerosp Eng 20:38–44
- 11.
Miyake K, Satomi N, Sasaki S (2006) Elastic modulus of polystyrene film from near surface to bulk measured by nanoindentation using atomic force microscopy. Appl Phys Lett 89:031925
- 12.
Keddie JL, Jones RAL, Cory RA (1994) Size-dependent depression of the glass transition temperature in polymer films. Europhys Lett 27:59–64
- 13.
Torres JM, Wang C, Coughlin EB, Bishop JP, Register RA, Riggleman RA et al (2011) Influence of chain stiffness on thermal and mechanical properties of polymer thin films. Macromolecules 44:9040–9045
- 14.
Johnson LL, Eby RK, Meador MAB (2003) Investigation of oxidation profile in PMR-15 polyimide using atomic force microscope (AFM). Polymer 44:187–197
- 15.
Lubarsky GV, Davidson MR, Bradley RH (2004) Elastic modulus, oxidation depth and adhesion force of surface modified polystyrene studied by AFM and XPS. Surf Sci 558:135–144
- 16.
Fasce L, Cura J, del Grosso M, García Bermúdez G, Frontini P (2010) Effect of nitrose ion irradiation on the nano-tribological and surface mechanical properties of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. Surf Coat Technol 204:3887–3894
- 17.
Švorčík V, Kotál V, Slepička P, Bláhová O, Špírková M, Sajdl P et al (2006) Modification of surface properties of polyethylene by Ar plasma discharge. Nucl Instrum Methods B 244:365–372
- 18.
Fisher GL, Lakis RE, Davis CC, Szakal C, Swadener JG, Wetteland CJ et al (2006) Mechanical properties and the evolution of matrix molecules in PTFE upon irradiation with MeV alpha particles. Appl Surf Sci 253:1330–1342
- 19.
Guenther M, Gerlach G, Suchaneck G, Sahre K, Eichhorn KJ, Baturin V et al (2004) Physical properties and structure of thin ion-beam modified polymer films. Nucl Instrum Methods B 216:143–148
- 20.
Binnig G, Quate CF, Gerber C (1986) Atomic force microscope. Phys Rev Lett 56:930–933
- 21.
Ton-That C, Shard AG, Teare DOH, Bradley RH (2001) XPS and AFM surface studies of solvent-cast PS/PMMA blends. Polymer 42:1121–1129
- 22.
Cyganik P, Budkowski A, Raczkowska J, Postawa Z (2002) AFM/LFM surface studies of a ternary polymer blend cast on substrates covered by a self-assembled monolayer. Surf Sci 507–510:700–706
- 23.
Bhushan B, Israelachvili JN, Landman U (1995) Nanotribology: friction, wear and lubrication at the atomic scale, nanomechanics and nanomaterials characterization. Nature 374:607–616
- 24.
Bhushan B (2008) Nanotribology, nanomechanics and nanomaterials characterization. Philos Trans R Soc A 366:1351–1381
- 25.
Senden TJ, Ducker WA (1994) Experimental determination of spring constants in atomic force microscopy. Langmuir 10:1003–1004
- 26.
Cleveland JP, Manne S, Bocek D, Hansma PK (1993) A nondestructive method for determining the spring constant of cantilevers for scanning force microscopy. Rev Sci Instrum 64:403–405
- 27.
Sader JE, Larson I, Mulvaney P, White LR (1995) Method for the calibration of atomic force microscope cantilevers. Rev Sci Instrum 66:3789–3798
- 28.
Sader JE, Chon JWM, Mulvaney P (1999) Calibration of rectangular atomic force microscope cantilevers. Rev Sci Instrum 70:3967–3969
- 29.
Green CP, Lioe H, Cleveland JP, Proksch R, Mulvaney P, Sader JE (2004) Normal and torsional spring constants of atomic force microscope cantilevers. Rev Sci Instrum 75:1988–1996
- 30.
Cappella B, Dietler G (1999) Force-distance curves by atomic force microscopy. Surf Sci Rep 34:1–104
- 31.
Butt HJ, Cappella B, Kappl M (2005) Force measurements with the atomic force microscope: technique, interpretation and applications. Surf Sci Rep 59:1–152
- 32.
Weisenhorn AL, Khorsandi M, Kasas S, Gotzos V, Butt HJ (1993) Deformation and height anomaly of soft surfaces studied with an AFM. Nanotechnology 4:106–113
- 33.
Tsukruk VV, Huang Z, Chizhik SA, Gorbunov VV (1998) Probing of micromechanical properties of compliant polymeric materials. J Mater Sci 33:4905–4909
- 34.
Domke J, Radmacher M (1998) Measuring the elastic properties of thin polymer films with the atomic force microscope. Langmuir 14:3320–3325
- 35.
Reynaud C, Sommer F, Quet C, El Buonia N, Tran Minh D (2000) Quantitative determination of Young’s modulus on a biphase polymer system using atomic force microscopy. Surf Interface Anal 30:185–189
- 36.
Tomasetti E, Legras R, Nysten B (1998) Quantitative approach towards the measurement of polypropylene/(ethylene-propylene) copolymer blends surface elastic properties by AFM. Nanotechnology 9:305–315
- 37.
Clifford CA, Seah MP (2005) Quantification issues in the identification of nanoscale regions of homopolymers using modulus measurement via AFM nanoindentation. Appl Surf Sci 252:1915–1933
- 38.
Du B, Tsui OKC, Zhang Q, He T (2001) Study of elastic modulus and yield strength of polymer thin films using atomic force microscopy. Langmuir 17:3286–3291
- 39.
Passeri D, Alippi A, Bettucci A, Rossi M, Alippi A, Tamburri E et al (2011) Indentation modulus and hardness of polyaniline thin films by atomic force microscopy. Synth Met 161:7–12
- 40.
Kovalev A, Shulha H, Lemieux M, Myshkin N, Tsukruk VV (2004) Nanomechanical probing of layered nanoscale polymer films with atomic force microscopy. J Mater Res 19:716–728
- 41.
Tranchida D, Piccarolo S, Soliman M (2006) Nanoscale mechanical characterization of polymers by AFM nanoindentations: critical approach to elastic characterization. Macromolecules 39:4547–4556
- 42.
Passeri D, Bettucci A, Biagioni A, Rossi M, Alippi A, Tamburri E et al (2009) Indentation modulus and hardness of viscoelastic thin films by atomic force microscopy: a case study. Ultramicroscopy 109:1417–1427
- 43.
Tranchida D, Piccarolo S, Loos J, Alexeev A (2007) Mechanical characterization of polymers on a nanometer scale through nanoindentation. A study on pile-up and viscoelasticity. Macromolecules 40:1259–1267
- 44.
Bykov V, Gologanov A, Shevyakov V (1998) Test structure for SPM tip shape deconvolution. Appl Phys A 66:499–502
- 45.
Passeri D, Bettucci A, Biagioni A, Rossi M, Alippi A, Lucci M et al (2008) Quantitative measurement of indentation hardness and modulus of compliant materials by atomic force microscopy. Rev Sci Instrum 79:066105
- 46.
Bhushan B, Koinkar VN (1994) Nanoindentation hardness measurements using atomic force microscopy. Appl Phys Lett 64:1653–1655
- 47.
Vanlandingham MR (1997) The effect of instrumental uncertainties on AFM indentation measurements. Microsc Today 5:12–15
- 48.
Huang L, Meyer C, Prater C (2007) Eliminating lateral forces during AFM indentation. J Phys Conf Ser 61:805–809
- 49.
Cappella B (2011) Mechanical properties and adhesion of a micro structured polymer blend. Polymers 3:1091–1106
- 50.
Zhao J, Chen M, An Y, Liu J, Yan F (2008) Preparation of polystyrene brush film by radical chain-transfer polymerization and micromechanical properties. Appl Surf Sci 255:2295–2302
- 51.
Ganguly A, Bhowmick AK (2009) Quantification of surface forces of thermoplastic elastomeric nanocomposites based on poly(styreneethylene-co-butylene-styrene) and clay by atomic force microscopy. Appl Surf Sci 111:2104–2115
- 52.
Kim KS, Wang H, Zou Q (2009) High speed force-volume mapping using atomic force microscope. In: American Control Conference, 2009. ACC’09. pp 991–996
- 53.
van der Werf KO, Putman CAJ, de Grooth BG, Greve J (1994) Adhesion force imaging in air and liquid by adhesion mode atomic force microscopy. Appl Phys Lett 29:1195–1197
- 54.
Fang TH, Wu CD, Kang SH (2011) Thermomechanical properties of polymer nanolithography using atomic force microscopy. Micron 42:492–497
- 55.
Kienberger F, Ebner A, Gruber HJ, Hinterdorfer P (2006) Molecular recognition imaging and force spectroscopy of single biomolecules. Acc Chem Res 39:29–36
- 56.
Dupres V, Verbelen C, Dufrene YF (2007) Probing molecular recognition sites on biosurfaces using AFM. Biomaterials 28:2393–2402
- 57.
Creasey R, Sharma S, Gibson CT, Craig JE, Ebner A, Becker T et al (2011) Atomic force microscopy-based antibody recognition imaging of proteins in the pathological deposits in pseudoexfoliation syndrome. Ultramicroscopy 111:1055–1061
- 58.
Maivald P, Butt HJ, Gould SA, Prater CB, Drake B, Gurley JA et al (1991) Using force modulation to image surface elasticities with the atomic force microscope. Nanotechnology 2:103–106
- 59.
Nie HY, Motomatsu M, Mizutani W, Tokumoto H (1996) Local elasticity measurement on polymers using atomic force microscopy. Thin Solid Films 273:143–148
- 60.
Sheiko SS. Imaging of polymers using scanning force microscopy: from superstructures to individual molecules. In: Schmidt M (ed) Advances in polymer science (200) volume 151, New developments in polymer analytics II. pp 61–174. doi:10.1007/3-540-48763-8_2
- 61.
McGuiggan PM, Yarusso DJ (2004) Measurement of the loss tangent of a thin polymeric film using the atomic force microscope. J Mater Res 19:387–395
- 62.
Le Rouzic J, Vairac P, Cretin B, Delobelle P (2008) Sensitivity optimization of the scanning microdeformation microscope and application to mechanical characterization of soft materials. Rev Sci Instrum 79:033707
- 63.
Le Rouzic J, Delobelle P, Vairac P, Cretin B (2009) Comparison of three different scales techniques for the dynamic mechanical characterization of two polymers (PDMS and SU8). Eur Phys J Appl Phys 48:11201
- 64.
Cretin B, Sthal F (1996) Scanning microdeformation microscopy. Appl Phys Lett 62:829–831
- 65.
Robert L, Cretin B (1999) Determination of the observation depth in scanning microdeformation microscopy. Surf Interface Anal 27:568–571
- 66.
Vairac P, Cretin B (1999) Electromechanical resonator in scanning microdeformation microscopy: theory and experiment. Surf Interface Anal 27:588–591
- 67.
Huey BD (2007) AFM and acoustics: fast, quantitative nanomechanical mapping. Annu Rev Mater Res 37:351–385
- 68.
Rabe U, Arnold W (1994) Acoustic microscopy by atomic force microscopy. Appl Phys Lett 64:1493–1495
- 69.
Rabe U, Scherer V, Hirsekorn S, Arnold W (1997) Nanomechanical surface characterization by atomic force acoustic microscopy. J Vac Sci Technol B 15:1506–1511
- 70.
Rabe U, Amelio S, Kopycinska M, Hirsekorn S, Kempf M, Göken M et al (2002) Imaging and measurement of local mechanical material properties by atomic force acoustic microscopy. Surf Interface Anal 33:65–70
- 71.
Rabe U, Amelio S, Kester E, Scherer V, Hirsekorn S, Arnold W (2000) Quantitative determination of contact stiffness using atomic force acoustic microscopy. Ultrasonics 38:430–437
- 72.
Yamanaka K, Nakano S (1996) Ultrasonic atomic force microscope with overtone excitation of cantilever. Jpn J Appl Phys Part 1 35:3787–3792
- 73.
Yamanaka K, Noguchi A, Tsuji T, Koike T, Goto T (1999) Quantitative material characterization by ultrasonic AFM. Surf Interface Anal 27:600–606
- 74.
Banerjee S, Gayathri N, Dash S, Tyagi AK, Raj B (2005) A comparative study of contact resonance imaging using atomic force microscopy. Appl Phys Lett 86:211913
- 75.
Yamanaka K, Kobari K, Tsuji T (2008) Evaluation of functional materials and devices using atomic force microscopy with ultrasonic measurements. Jpn J Appl Phys 47:6070–6076
- 76.
Rabe U, Hirsekorn S, Reinstädtler M, Sulzbach T, Lehrer C, Arnold W (2007) Influence of the cantilever holder on the vibrations of AFM cantilevers. Nanotechnology 18:044008
- 77.
Schwarz K, Rabe U, Hirsekorn S, Arnold W (2008) Excitation of atomic force microscope cantilever vibrations by a Schottky barrier. Appl Phys Lett 92:183105
- 78.
Hurley DC, Kopycinska-Müller M, Kos AB, Geiss RH (2005) Quantitative elastic-property measurements at the nanoscale with atomic force acoustic microscopy. Adv Eng Mater 7:713–718
- 79.
Hurley DC, Kopycinska-Müller M, Kos AB, Geiss RH (2005) Nanoscale elastic-property measurements and mapping using atomic force acoustic microscopy methods. Meas Sci Technol 16:2167–2172
- 80.
Passeri D, Bettucci A, Germano M, Rossi M, Alippi A, Sessa V et al (2006) Local indentation modulus characterization of diamond-like carbon films by atomic force acoustic microscopy two contact resonance frequencies imaging technique. Appl Phys Lett 88:121910
- 81.
Kumar A, Rabe U, Hirsekorn S, Arnold W (2008) Elasticity mapping of precipitates in polycrystalline materials using atomic force acoustic microscopy. Appl Phys Lett 92:183106
- 82.
Yamanaka K, Maruyama Y, Tsuji T, Nakamoto K (2001) Resonance frequency and Q factor mapping by ultrasonic atomic force microscopy. Appl Phys Lett 78:1939–1941
- 83.
Killgore JP, Yablon DG, Tsou AH, Gannepalli A, Yuya PA, Turner JA et al (2011) Viscoelastic property mapping with contact resonance force microscopy. Langmuir 27:13983–13987
- 84.
Passeri D, Bettucci A, Germano M, Rossi M, Alippi A, Fiori A et al (2007) Local indentation modulus characterization via two contact resonance frequencies atomic force acoustic microscopy. Microelectron Eng 84:490–494
- 85.
Passeri D, Rossi M, Alippi A, Bettucci A, Terranova ML, Tamburri E et al (2008) Characterization of epoxy/single-walled carbon nanotubes composite samples via atomic force acoustic microscopy. Physica E 40:2419–2424
- 86.
Preghenella M, Pegoretti A, Migliaresi C (2006) Atomic force acoustic microscopy analysis of epoxy-silica nanocomposites. Polym Test 25:443–451
- 87.
Zhao W, Singh RP, Korach CS (2009) Effects of environmental degradation on near-fiber nanomechanical properties of carbon fiber epoxy composites. Compos Part A Appl Sci Manuf 40:675–678
- 88.
Liu Y, Chen S, Zussman E, Korach CS, Zhao W, Rafailovich M (2011) Diameter-dependent modulus and melting behavior in electrospun semicrystalline polymer fibers. Macromolecules 44:4439–4444
- 89.
Yuya PA, Hurley DC, Turner JA (2008) Contact-resonance atomic force microscopy for viscoelasticity. J Appl Phys 104:074916
- 90.
Yuya PA, Hurley DC, Turner JA (2011) Relationship between Q-factor and sample damping for contact resonance atomic force microscope measurement of viscoelastic properties. J Appl Phys 109:113528
- 91.
Killgore JP, Hurley DC (2012) Pulsed contact resonance for atomic force microscopy nanomechanical measurements. Appl Phys Lett 100:053104
- 92.
Kolosov O, Yamanaka K (1993) Nonlinear detection of ultrasonic vibrations in an atomic force microscope. Jpn J Appl Phys Part 2 32:L1095–L1098
- 93.
Dinelli F, Assender HE, Takeda N, Briggs GAD, Kolosov OV (1999) Elastic mapping of heterogeneous nanostructures with ultrasonic force microscopy (UFM). Surf Interface Anal 27:562–567
- 94.
Dinelli F, Biswas SK, Briggs GAD, Kolosov OV (2000) Measurements of stiff-material compliance on the nanoscale using ultrasonic force microscopy. Phys Rev B 61:13995–14006
- 95.
Bliznyuk VN, Lipatov YS, Ozdemir N, Todosijchuk TT, Chornaya VN, Singamanemi S (2007) Atomic force and ultrasonic force microscopy investigation of adsorbed layers formed by two incompatible polymers: polystyrene and poly(butyl methacrylate). Langmuir 23:12973–12983
- 96.
Porfyrakis K, Kolosov OV, Assender HE (2001) AFM and UFM surface characterization of rubber-toughened poly(methyl methacrylate) samples. J Appl Polym Sci 82:2790–2798
- 97.
Iwata F, Suzuki Y, Moriki Y, Koike S, Sasaki A (2001) Nanowearing property of a fatigued polycarbonate surface studied by atomic force microscopy. J Vac Sci Technol B 19:666–670
- 98.
Porfyrakis K, Assender HE, Robinson IM (2002) The interrelationship between processing conditions, microstructure and mechanical properties for injection moulded rubber-toughened poly(methyl methacrylate) (RTPMMA) samples. Polymer 43:4769–4781
- 99.
Iwata F, Matsumoto T, Sasaki A (2000) Local elasticity imaging of nano bundle structure of polycarbonate surface using atomic force microscopy. Nanotechnology 11:10–15
- 100.
Fernandez E, Hernandez R, Cuberes MT, Mijangos C, Lopez D (2010) New hydrogels from interpenetrated physical gels of agarose and chemical gels of polyacrylamide: effect of relative concentration and crosslinking degree on the viscoelastic and thermal properties. J Polym Sci Polym Phys 48:2403–2412
- 101.
Cantrell SA, Cantrell JH, Lillehei PT (2007) Nanoscale subsurface imaging via resonant difference-frequency atomic force ultrasonic microscopy. J Appl Phys 101:114324
- 102.
Cuberes MT, Alexander HE, Briggs GAD, Kolosov OV (2000) Heterodyne force microscopy of PMMA/rubber nanocomposites: nanomapping of viscoelastic response at ultrasonic frequencies. J Phys D Appl Phys 33:2347–2355
- 103.
Diebold AC (2005) Subsurface imaging with scanning ultrasound holography. Science 310:61–62
- 104.
Shekhawat GS, Dravid VP (2005) Nanoscale imaging of buried structures via scanning near-field ultrasound holography. Science 310:89–92
- 105.
Shekhawat G, Srivastava A, Avasthy S, Dravid VP (2009) Ultrasound holography for noninvasive imaging of buried defects and interfaces for advanced interconnect architectures. Appl Phys Lett 95:263101
- 106.
Tamayo J, García R (1996) Deformation, contact time, phase contrast in tapping mode scanning force microscopy. Langmuir 12:4430–4435
- 107.
Tamayo J, García R (1997) Effects of elastic and inelastic interactions on phase contrast images in tapping-mode scanning force microscopy. Appl Phys Lett 71:2394–2396
- 108.
Cleveland JP, Anczykowski B, Schmid AE, Elings V (1998) Energy dissipation in tapping-mode atomic force microscopy. Appl Phys Lett 72:2613–2615
- 109.
Bar G, Brandsch R, Whangbo MH (1998) Effect of viscoelastic properties of polymers on the phase shift in tapping mode atomic force microscopy. Langmuir 14:7343–7347
- 110.
Chen X, Davies MC, Roberts CJ, Tendler SJB, Williams PM, Davies J et al (1998) Interpretation of tapping mode atomic force microscopy data using amplitude-phase-distance measurements. Ultramicroscopy 75:171–181
- 111.
García R, San Paulo A (1999) Attractive and repulsive tip-sample interaction regimes in tapping-mode atomic force microscopy. Phys Rev B 60:4961–4967
- 112.
Wang L (1999) The role of damping in phase imaging in tapping mode atomic force microscopy. Surf Sci 429:178–185
- 113.
Kopp-Marsaudon S, Leclère P, Dubourg F, Lazzaroni R, Aimé JP (2000) Quantitative measurement of the mechanical contribution to tapping-mode atomic force microscopy images of soft materials. Langmuir 16:8432–8437
- 114.
San Paulo A, García R (2001) Tip-surface forces, amplitude, and energy dissipation in amplitude-modulation (tapping mode) force microscopy. Phys Rev B 64:193411
- 115.
Knoll A, Magerle R, Kraush G (2001) Tapping mode atomic force microscopy on polymers: where is the true sample surface? Macromolecules 34:4159–4165
- 116.
San Paulo A, García R (2002) Unifying theory of tapping-mode atomic-force microscopy. Phys Rev B 66:041406
- 117.
Perez R, García R (2002) Dynamic atomic force microscopy methods. Surf Sci Rep 47:197–301
- 118.
Magonov SN, Reneker DH (1997) Characterization of polymer surfaces with atomic force microscopy. Annu Rev Mater Sci 27:175–222
- 119.
Sundrani D, Darling SB, Sibener SJ (2004) Hierarchical assembly and compliance of aligned nanoscale polymer cylinders in confinement. Langmuir 20:5091–5099
- 120.
Raghavan D, Gu X, Nguyen T, VanLandingham M, Karim A (2000) Mapping polymer heterogeneity using atomic force microscopy phase imaging and nanoscale indentation. Macromolecules 33:2573–2583
- 121.
Wang Y, Song R, Li Y, Shen J (2003) Understanding tapping-mode atomic force microscopy data on the surface of soft block copolymers. Surf Sci 530:136–148
- 122.
Stafford CM, Vogt BD, Harrison C, Julthongpiput D, Huang R (2006) Elastic moduli of ultrathin amorphous polymer films. Macromolecules 39:5095–5099
- 123.
Bar G, Ganter M, Brandsch R, Delineau L, Whangbo MH (2000) Examination of butadiene/styrene-co-butadiene rubber blends by tapping mode atomic force microscopy. Importance of the indentation depth and reduced tip-sample energy dissipation in tapping mode atomic force microscopy study of elastomers. Langmuir 16:5702–5711
- 124.
Magonov SN, Cleveland J, Elings V, Denley D, Whangbo MH (1997) Tapping-mode atomic force microscopy study of the near-surface composition of a styrene-butadiene-styrene triblock copolymer film. Surf Sci 389:201–211
- 125.
Raghavan D, VanLandingham M, Gu X, Nguyen T (2000) Characterization of heterogeneous regions in polymer systems using tapping mode and force mode atomic force microscopy. Langmuir 16:9448–9459
- 126.
Fukuma T, Kilpatrick JI, Jarvis SP (2006) Phase modulation atomic force microscope with true atomic resolution. Rev Sci Instrum 77:123703
- 127.
Li YJ, Kobayashi N, Naitoh Y, Kageshima M, Sugawara Y (2008) Phase modulation atomic force microscopy in constant excitation mode capable of simultaneous imaging of topography and energy dissipation. Appl Phys Lett 92:121903
- 128.
Sahin O, Magonov S, Su C, Quate CF, Solgaard O (2007) An atomic force microscope tip designed to measure time-varying nanomechanical forces. Nat Nanotechnol 2:507–514
- 129.
Sahin O, Erina N (2008) High-resolution and large dynamic range nanomechanical mapping in tapping-mode atomic force microscopy. Nanotechnology 19:445717
- 130.
Ishiyama C, Higo Y (2002) Effects of humidity on Young’s modulus in poly(methyl methacrylate). J Polym Sci B Polym Phys 40:460–465
- 131.
Süske E, Scharf T, Schaaf P, Panchenko E, Nelke D, Buback M et al (2004) Variation of the mechanical properties of pulsed laser deposited PMMA films during annealing. Appl Phys A 79:1295–1297
- 132.
Wang C (2001) Tear strength of styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymers. Macromolecules 34:9006–9014
- 133.
Young TJ, Monclus MA, Burnett TL, Broughton WR, Ogin SL, Smith PA (2011) The use of the PeakForce™ quantitative nanomechanical mapping AFM-based method for high resolution Young’s modulus measurement of polymers. Meas Sci Technol 22:125703
- 134.
Schön P, Bagdi K, Molnár K, Markus P, Pukánszky B, Julius Vancso G (2011) Quantitative mapping of elastic moduli at the nanoscale in phase separated polyurethanes by AFM. Eur Polym J 47:692–698
- 135.
Schön P, Dutta S, Shirazi M, Noordermeer J, Julius Vancso G (2011) Quantitative mapping of surface elastic moduli in silica-reinforced rubbers and rubber blends across the length scales by AFM. J Mater Sci 46:3507–3516
- 136.
Rosa-Zeiser A, Weilandt E, Hild S, Marti O (1997) The simultaneous measurement of elastic, electrostatic and adhesive properties by scanning force microscopy: pulsed-force mode operation. Meas Sci Technol 8:1333–1338
- 137.
Marti O, Stifter T, Waschiphy H, Quintus M, Hild S (1999) Scanning probe microscopy of heterogeneous polymers. Colloids Surface A 154:65–73
- 138.
Rezende CA, Lee LT, Galembeck F (2009) Surface mechanical properties of thin polymer films investigated by AFM in pulsed force mode. Langmuir 25:9938–9946
- 139.
Meincken M, Roux SP, Jacobs EP (2005) Determination of the hydrophilic character of membranes by pulsed force mode atomic force microscopy. Appl Surf Sci 252:1772–1779
- 140.
Morton DN, Roberts CJ, Hey MJ, Mitchell JR, Hipkiss J, Vercauteren J (2003) Surface characterization of caramel at the micrometer scale. J Food Sci 68:1411–1415
- 141.
Adamcik J, Berquand A, Mezzenga R (2011) Single-step direct measurement of amyloid fibrils stiffness by peak force quantitative nanomechanical atomic force microscopy. Appl Phys Lett 98:193701
- 142.
Pletikapic G, Berquand A, Misic Radic T, Svetlicic V (2012) Quantitative nanomechanical mapping of marine diatom in seawater using peak force tapping atomic force microscopy. J Phycol 48:174–185
- 143.
Pakzad A, Simonsen J, Yassar RS (2012) Gradient of nanomechanical properties in the interphase of cellulose nanocrystal composites. Compos Sci Technol 72:314–319
- 144.
Sweers K, van der Werf K, Bennink M, Subramaniam V (2011) Nanomechanical properties of α-synuclein amyloid fibrils: a comparative study by nanoindentation, harmonic force microscopy, and Peakforce QNM. Nanoscale Res Lett 6:270
- 145.
Chen X, Davies MC, Roberts CJ, Tendler SJB, Williams PM (2000) Hydrodynamic damping of tip oscillation in pulsed-force atomic force microscopy. Appl Phys Lett 77:3462–3464
Author information
Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Published in the topical collection Characterization of Thin Films and Membranes with guest editors Daniel Mandler and Pankaj Vadgama.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Passeri, D., Rossi, M., Tamburri, E. et al. Mechanical characterization of polymeric thin films by atomic force microscopy based techniques. Anal Bioanal Chem 405, 1463–1478 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-012-6419-3
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
Keywords
- Polymeric thin film
- Atomic force microscopy
- Mechanical measurement
- Mechanical imaging