The Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) is a member of the family of Scanning Probe Microscopes (SPM). This relatively recent technology (invented in 1986 by Binnig, Quate and Gerber) is capable of examining many different materials at ultra high resolutions in as close to natural environmental conditions as possible. There are no high vacuum or coating requirements and imaging can even be carried out under liquids (including physiological buffer solutions), all at ambient temperature.
The AFM produces images by scanning a tip across the sample and recording the displacement forces experienced. No lenses are employed in the image acquisition system, avoiding the theoretical diffraction limit of maximum resolution associated with other types of microscope. AFM is capable of acquiring images at molecular resolution and may even be successfully used to acquire images of atomic lattice structures with suitable samples. Resolution is sample dependent and samples with very high topographical features (larger than several microns) do require some preparative methods to optimise presentation to the AFM.
AFM is a very versatile technique that allows acquisition of many different data sets from a single sample, providing data on a range of different mechanical properties as well as simply topographical data.
Topography
Friction (Lateral Force Imaging)
Imaging of Local (nanoscale) Stiffness and Adhesion (Using WITec PFM accessory)
Nano-scale Point Force Spectroscopy
Micro–DSC (Micro-Differential Scanning Calorimetry)