This is a selection of our more comprehensive application notes, and technical notes. Please click through to read more.
White Paper: Unveiling the Power of Electrical Modes
Explore the forefront of nanoscale electrical characterization with our white paper on electrical Atomic Force Microscopy. This guide offers a comprehensive overview of electical AFM techniques, in...
Read more
Study of Magnetization in Artificial Spin Ice at Variable Magnetic Fields
Dive into the fascinating world of neuromorphic computing and discover how artificial spin ice structures are revolutionizing the way we think about computation. This application note offers an in- ...
Read more
Enhancing Piezoresponse Force Microscopy with Dual Frequency Resonance Tracking: A Practical Guide
This application note discusses the use of Dual-Frequency-Resonance-Tracking (DFRT) in Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM). Piezoelectric materials generate an internal electric field when subject...
Read more
Performing Bio-AFM on live cells
The study of biological systems ranges from whole organisms, organs and organoids down to their building blocks: cells and proteins. At the lower end of the length scale, atomic force microscope (A...
Read more
Magnetization of electrical steel in external magnetic fields
The variable magnetic field sample holder (VMFSH) is an accessory for Nanosurf’s CoreAFM, FlexAFM and DriveAFM that allows AFM measurements in a variable in- or out-of-plane magnetic field. This is...
Read more
Studies of MC2 capacitance standard sample by scanning microwave microscopy (SMM)
Scanning microwave microscopy (SMM) is a scanning probe technique, which combines an AFM with the measurement of local tip-sample microwave impedance, deduced from the S11 parameter, or microwave r...
Read more
Determination of dopant density in Infineon SCM calibration sample by scanning microwave microsco...
This application note is a follow up on a preceeding application note for SMM measurements of a capacitance standard sample. The present application note contains all neccesary information but the...
Read more
Fighting viruses on the nanoscale with AFM
During the last century humans have endured multiple severe viral outbreaks including the Spanish flu and other influenza epidemics, HIV, SARS-CoV, MERS, Ebola and the recent SARS-CoV2 pandemic. Du...
Read more
Measuring the flattest surfaces in the Universe
Measuring the flattest surfaces in the Universe Surface roughness plays a significant role in many mechanical properties such as friction and adhesion, in surface reactivity, in the substrate...
Read more
Advanced Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM)
Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) is one of the essential electrical modes in scanning probe microscopy. It is measuring a fundamental physical property of materials – a surface potential
Read more
Characterization of Polyethylene with DriveAFM
Polyethylene (PE) is a semicrystalline polymer and is one of the most widely produced plastics globally for use in consumer goods and packaging with wide-ranging applications. Shopping bags, milk b...
Read more
Exploring Nanoscale Organization of Normal Alkanes on HOPG Substrate with DriveAFM
AFM studies of normal and ultra-long alkanes reveal a set of fine structural features related to the lateral chain folding and lamellar architecture in their layers on HOPG. The formation of these...
Read more
Studies of Self-Organization of Semi-Fluorinated Alkanes on Different Substrates with DriveAFM
The capabilities of visualization of semi-fluorinated alkanes with dynamic mode AFM are demonstrated in this document. Diverse nanoscale structures were observed in adsorbates of semi-fluorinated a...
Read more
Determining mass of individual micron-sized particles using PicoBalance and FluidFM® probes
Micron-sized particles are commercially available in a wide range of materials such as polymers, (magnetic) metals, glass and ceramics. They have applications in biology, medicine, material science...
Read more
Evaluating AFM as an analysis tool for graphene
Graphene is the most famous member of the 2D materials family: a sheet of covalently bonded carbon atoms in a hexagonal lattice in which the thickness has been reduced to a single atom. This unique...
Read more
Scanning Microwave Microscopy (SMM)
Over the last few decades, the drive to miniaturize electronics has increased the demand for nano-electrical characterization methods. Understanding the local electronic material properties, such a...
Read more
Variable magnetic field generator
The variable magnetic field generator is an accessory for Nanosurf’s CoreAFM, FlexAFM and DriveAFM. The VMFSH enables AFM measurements in a variable in-plane magnetic field.
Read more
In-situ study of anti-wear tribofilm formation
Prashant Mittal and Nitya Nand Gosvami, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. Tribofilms Tribofilms are thin tribochemical films formed under high contact pressure and temperature at...
Read more
Piezo-response Force Microscopy (PFM)
Piezo Response Force Microscopy (PFM) The word “piezo” is derived from the Greek word piezein, meaning “to press tightly”. Piezoelectricity is the ability of a material to convert mechanical...
Read more
CleanDrive: Photothermal Excitation of the Cantilever
Nanosurf introduces CleanDrive - a clean and reliable way to oscillate an AFM cantilever using photothermal excitation. CleanDrive uses a near IR 785 nm laser aimed at the base of the cantilever to...
Read more
Magnetic force microscopy (MFM)
Magnetic force microscopy (MFM) is one of the modes of scanning probe microscopy (SPM). As the name suggests, it is used for mapping magnetic properties. MFM probes local magnetic fields on the nan...
Read more
Nanomechanical indentation measurements with force spectroscopy
In the realm of nanomechanical measurements, AFM is especially suited to working with soft materials due to its piconewton force resolution and sub-nanometer vertical displacement accuracy. One of...
Read more
Advanced cantilever-based techniques for virus research
During last century humans have endured multiple severe viral outbreaks including the Spanish flu and other influenza epidemics, HIV, SARS-CoV, MERS, Ebola and the recent SARS-CoV2. During this per...
Read more
Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM)
Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), also known as surface potential microscopy, is one member of a suite of electrical characterization methods available in atomic force microscopes. It maps the...
Read more
Conductive AFM (C-AFM) measurements on a polished IC surface with multiple transistor contacts
Introduction Chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) is a standard manufacturing process employed in the semiconductor industry during the fabrication of integrated circuits and memory disks. When...
Read more
Out of plane piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) on Lithium Niobate
Lithium Niobite (LiNbO3) is an optically transparent, piezo responsive material used, for example, in piezo sensors or in mobile phones. We tested a LiNbO3 sample (PFM03, obtained from TipsNano, E...
Read more
Cell-cell adhesion force studied with Flex-FPM
Cells are the building blocks of life. Some cell types thrive best individually, suspended. Most of them however are adhering cells. These cells are integrated in a larger, 3D matrix like tissue. A...
Read more
EFM of aluminum dots on gold substrate
This application note describes an example of electrostatic force (EFM) measurements on a sample of aluminum dots deposited on a...
Read more
Phase image of an SBS-PS polymer blend
Polymer blends are frequently used for preparation of e.g. thin films instead of the individual homopolymers, as the blends exhibit more...
Read more
Nanomechanical analysis of alginate hydrogels
Since the advent of biocompatible hydrogels in the early 1960s these materials have attracted a lot of interest from biomaterial rese...
Read more
Thermal conductivity of polymer-embedded carbon fibers
Scanning thermal microscopy (SThM) allows measurement of local temperatu...
Read more
Spectroscopy (formerly Flex-ANA) measurement on gelatin hydrogels
During the past decade it has become more and more evident that (stem) cell differentiation does not solely depend...
Read more
Spectroscopy (formerly Flex-ANA) measurement on medical tubings
Many medical devices consist of or include tubings, e.g. catheters, injection or infusion sets or urologic...
Read more
Force mapping of living cultured cells
Mechanobiology is an emerging research area that deals with the effect of changing physical for...
Read more
AFM force spectroscopy on a polymer blend
AFM-based force spectroscopy was used to characterize a polymer blend consisting of polystyrene (PS) and polybutadiene (PB). Data analysis or an array of force distance curves revealed differences...
Read more
Lateral force microscopy on polystyrene-polybutadiene blend
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.
Read more
Scanning thermal microscopy
This is an example of a scanning thermal measurement performed with a FlexAFM scan head equipped with a VertiSense temperature sensing cantilever from AppNano. Temperature shown as co...
Read more
Example of single-cell force spectroscopy using FluidFM
This application note shows an example of a single cell force spectroscopy experiment using FluidFM. It nicely demonstrates that FluidFM is capa...
Read more
Colloidal spectroscopy with FluidFM®
Mechanical properties have shown to be important for fundamental cellular processes like...
Read more
Single Cell Force Spectroscopy
Advantages of FluidFM compared to classical AFM methods Cell adhesion to surfaces represents the basis for niche colonization and cell survival. Single-cell force-spectroscopy studies, however, ...
Read more
Spotting and lithography with FluidFM
In cell biology, micropatterning is becoming a widely accepted technique to address cellular behavior at the single-cell level. The ability to guide cell growth by local suppression or stimulation, ...
Read more
Bulk copper deposition on gold studied in an EC-AFM application using the FlexAFM
This report effectively demonstrates the ability of the FlexAFM to monitor morphological changes during electrodeposition of material on an electrode surface.
Read more
Analyzing large surfaces using AFM stitching
This application note describes the automated stitching feature of the Nanosurf Nanite AFM scripting interface in combination with the Nanosurf Report Expert analysis software. AFM measurements on...
Read more