Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy have emerged as complementary techniques that enable the precise characterisation of materials at the nanoscale. AFM provides ...

Invented 30 years ago, the atomic force microscope has been a major driver of nanotechnology, ranging from atomic-scale imaging to its latest applications in manipulating individual molecules, ...

Researchers have developed a new microscope that can visualize the optical response of surfaces at an unprecedented spatial resolution of one nanometer. This paves the way for optical microscopy of ...

First invented in 1985 by IBM in Zurich, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is a scanning probe technique for imaging. It involves a nanoscopic tip attached to a microscopic, flexible cantilever, which is ...

Carbon nanotube atomic force microscopy probes represent a significant advancement in nanoscale imaging and surface characterisation. Owing to the exceptional mechanical strength, high aspect ratio ...

Microscopes have long been scientists’ eyes into the unseen, revealing everything from bustling cells to viruses and nanoscale structures. However, even the most powerful optical microscopes have been ...

In July 1985, three physicists—Gerd Binnig of the IBM Zurich Research Laboratory, Christoph Gerber of the University of Basel, and Calvin Quate of Stanford University—puzzled over a problem while ...

Christoph Gerber, who co-invented the atomic force microscope, tells Matthew Chalmers how the AFM came about 30 years ago and why it continues to shape research at the nanoscale Nano-vision Christoph ...

PFM is based on the converse piezoelectric effect, where an applied electric field induces mechanical strain in piezoelectric materials. In PFM, an AC voltage is applied between a conductive atomic ...

Polymer materials play an increasingly important role in a variety of industrial applications, thanks to their distinct physical and chemical properties. Among their key mechanical characteristics, ...

Researchers in China have developed an electrical imaging technique using three-dimensional (3D) tomographic conductive atomic force microscopy (TC-AFM) to go beyond indirect characterization of ...