High-speed dynamic-mode atomic force microscopy imaging of polymers: an adaptive multiloop-mode approach

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Surface Science

Background:

• Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is crucial for nanoscale imaging.
• Tapping-mode (TM) AFM offers high resolution but is limited by slow scan speeds.
• High-speed AFM is needed for dynamic processes and large-area mapping.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance and robustness of Adaptive Multiloop-Mode (AMLM) imaging for high-speed AFM.
• To assess AMLM imaging on diverse polymer samples with varying properties.
• To compare AMLM imaging speed and quality against conventional TM imaging.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Adaptive Multiloop-Mode (AMLM) imaging technique.
• Imaged three heterogeneous polymer samples: PS-LDPE, SBS, and Celgard.
• Conducted high-speed imaging at 25 Hz and 20 Hz, comparing with TM imaging at 1-2 Hz.

Main Results:

• AMLM imaging achieved over an order of magnitude increase in speed compared to TM imaging.
• High-speed AMLM imaging (25 Hz, 20 Hz) yielded image quality comparable to slower TM imaging (1 Hz).
• Tip-sample interaction forces were substantially lower in AMLM imaging than in TM imaging.

Conclusions:

• AMLM imaging is a promising technique for high-speed dynamic-mode AFM.
• The method demonstrates robustness across polymer samples with diverse feature sizes and stiffness.
• AMLM enables faster, high-quality nanoscale imaging with reduced tip-sample interaction.