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Updated: Jan 6, 2026

Surface Potential Measurement of Bacteria Using Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy
Published on: November 28, 2014
No Time for Surface Charge: How Bulk Conductivity Hides Charge Patterns from Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy in
Felix Pertl1, Isaac C D Lenton1, Tobias Cramer2
1Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria.
None:
Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) is widely used in stationary and dynamic studies of contact electrification. An obvious question that connects these two has been overlooked: when are charge dynamics too fast for stationary studies to be meaningful? Using a rapid transfer system to quickly perform KPFM after contact, we find the dynamics are too fast in all but the best insulators. Our data further suggest that dynamics are caused by bulk as opposed to surface conductivity, and that charge-transfer heterogeneity is less prevalent than previously suggested.
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