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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
Atomic Force Microscopy Cantilever-Based Nanoindentation: Mechanical Property Measurements at the Nanoscale in Air and Fluid
Published on: December 2, 2022
Nanoindentation: Toward the sensing of atomic interactions
J Fraxedas1, S Garcia-Manyes, P Gorostiza
1Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona, Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193-Bellaterra, Spain; and Center of Bioelectronics and Nanobioscience and Departament de Química Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
Abstract:
The mechanical properties of surfaces of layered materials (highly oriented pyrolytic graphite, InSe, and GaSe) and single-crystal ionic materials (NaCl, KBr, and KCl) have been investigated at the nanometer scale by using nanoindentations produced with an atomic force microscope with ultrasharp tips. Special attention has been devoted to the elastic response of the materials before the onset of plastic yield. A new model based on an equivalent spring constant that takes into account the changes in in-plane interactions on nanoindentation is proposed. The results of this model are well correlated with those obtained by using the Debye model of solid vibrations.
