Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 27, 2026

Contact Mode Atomic Force Microscopy as a Rapid Technique for Morphological Observation and Bacterial Cell Damage Analysis
Published on: June 30, 2023
Review of time-resolved non-contact electrostatic force microscopy techniques with applications to ionic transport
Aaron Mascaro1, Yoichi Miyahara1, Tyler Enright1
1Department of Physics, McGill University, 3600 rue University, Montreal, Québec H3A2T8, Canada.
Abstract:
Recently, there have been a number of variations of electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) that allow for the measurement of time-varying forces arising from phenomena such as ion transport in battery materials or charge separation in photovoltaic systems. These forces reveal information about dynamic processes happening over nanometer length scales due to the nanometer-sized probe tips used in atomic force microscopy. Here, we review in detail several time-resolved EFM techniques based on non-contact atomic force microscopy, elaborating on their specific limitations and challenges. We also introduce a new experimental technique that can resolve time-varying signals well below the oscillation period of the cantilever and compare and contrast it with those previously established.
Related Concept Videos
Molecular and Ionic Solids
Molecular Solids
Molecular crystalline solids, such as ice, sucrose (table sugar), and iodine, are solids that are composed of neutral molecules as their constituent units. These molecules are held together by weak intermolecular forces such as London dispersion forces, dipole-dipole interactions, or hydrogen bonds, which...
Ionic Bonding and Electron Transfer
Intermolecular vs Intramolecular Forces
Intermolecular Forces
Ionic Radii
Ionic Bonds
When atoms gain or lose electrons to achieve a more stable electron configuration they form ions. Ionic bonds are electrostatic attractions between ions with opposite charges. Ionic compounds are rigid and brittle when solid and may dissociate into their constituent ions in water. Covalent compounds, by contrast, remain intact unless a chemical reaction breaks them.
Opposing Charges Hold Ions Together in Ionic Compounds
Ionic bonds are reversible electrostatic interactions between ions...

