Lateral force imaging mode was used to image local friction differences between the two polymers. Polystyrene and polybutadiene are shown to have quite different surface properties.
Overlay of difference between lateral deflection in forward and backward directions on top of topography. The difference is dominated by friction forces. Polystyrene (green areas) shows a higher friction than polybutadiene.
System: FlexAFM with ES2 controller
Scan size: 9 µm
Cantilever: PPP-CONTSCR
Overlay of average of lateral deflection in forward and backward directions on top of topography. The average is dominated by slope variations in the sample. The steepest slope (in red) is observed close to a large inset of polystyrene. The average shows no large color difference between the polymers in flatter areas.
Line section of lateral deflection difference and average of forward and backward scan directions.