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Atomic force microscopy, a tool for characterization, synthesis and chemical processes

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Abstract

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has become not only a topographic characterization tool of surfaces at a micro- or nano-level resolution but also a full line of research. From a topographic analysis of a surface to nanolithography or synthesis of particles, the AFM is used on a wide range of applications in physics, materials science, chemistry, and biology. This contribution presents a review of the uses of the instrument and the basic principles and techniques that are available in both static modes and dynamic modes. It focuses on the description of the main physical properties that can be obtained with the AFM and the experimental results of the instrument in materials science, chemistry, and biology.

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Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the support received from Tecnologico de Monterrey through the grant CAT051, thanks Alex de Lozanne from the Department of Physics at the University of Texas at Austin for countless meaningful discussions, and thanks Gerardo Tadeo Martinez who took some of the AFM images presented in the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Monterrey, Avenida Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, 64849, Mexico

    Genaro Zavala

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  1. Genaro Zavala
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Correspondence to Genaro Zavala.

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Dedicated to Professor Janos H. Fendler (Clarkson University, USA) on the occasion of his 70th birthday.

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Zavala, G. Atomic force microscopy, a tool for characterization, synthesis and chemical processes. Colloid Polym Sci 286, 85–95 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-007-1791-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-007-1791-9

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