NEW QUANTITATIVE imaging (QI) capabilities for the NanoWizard3 atomic force microscope (AFM) are said to make AFM imaging easier than ever before.
JPK NanoWizard AFM goes beyond imaging
JPK says the QI system gives the operator full control over the tip-sample force at each pixel on the image. With no need for setpoint or gain adjustment while scanning, QI promises excellent results on difficult subjects including soft solids like hydrogels or biomolecules, sticky materials, loosely attached samples such as nanotubes or virus particles in fluid, powders, microelectromechanical (Mems) structures, and so on.
QI mode is particularly useful, it says, in areas that demand both high resolution and force sensitivity such as biology, polymers, and surface science.
This technique enables atomic force microscopy (AFM) to deliver quantitative measurement rather than being merely an imaging system, says JPK. Measurement of the force distance curve at every pixel of the image gives complete information about the tip-sample interaction, with high spatial resolution.
The associated software enables quantitative measurement of nano-scale material properties including stiffness, adhesion, and dissipation.