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Updated: May 22, 2026

Combining Microfluidics and Microrheology to Determine Rheological Properties of Soft Matter during Repeated Phase Transitions
Published on: April 19, 2018
Molecular and nanoscale compositional contrast of soft matter in liquid: interplay between elastic and dissipative
Amir F Payam1, Jorge R Ramos, Ricardo Garcia
1IMM-Instituto de Microelectrónica de Madrid, CSIC, Isaac Newton 8, Tres Cantos, 28760 Madrid, Spain.
Abstract:
We demonstrate that the phase contrast observed with an amplitude modulation atomic force microscope depends on two factors, the generation of higher harmonics components and the energy dissipated on the sample surface. Those factors are ultimately related to the chemical composition and structure of the surface. Our findings are general, but they specifically describe the results obtained while imaging soft materials in liquid. Molecular resolution experiments performed on a protein membrane surface in liquid confirm the theory.
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