Surface analysis by atomic force microscopy (AFM)

The Cypher VRS-1250 AFM at INE
Fig. 1.: The Cypher VRS-1250 AFM at INE
Der Messbereich des Cypher AFM reicht von der atomaren Skala (oben: Wassermoleküle über der Calcit(104)-Oberfläche) bis zur µm-Skala (unten: Rauhigkeitsmessungen an einer polierten Stahl-Oberfläche)
Fig. 2: The measurement scale of the Cypher AFM reaches from atomic resolution (top: water molecules above the calcite(104)-surface, 5nm x 5nm x (±3 pm)) to the µm-Scale (bottom: roughness measurement of a polished steel surface, 15µm x 15µm x (± 1 µm))

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) allows to measure structures on solid surfaces. In-situ measurements in solution allow monitoring of changes during chemical reactions like crystal growth and dissolution or corrosion. At INE, a Cypher VRS-1250 AFM from Oxford Instruments with various extras like an electro-chemistry cell and the force mapping option is available (Fig. 1).  Various measurement modes and scan rates up to video-rate-scanning may be realized. Figure 2 depicts the available range of scales from atomic resolution images of a calcite single crystal surface to relatively large-scale roughness measurements on a polished steel surface.

 

 

Contact:

Dr. Frank Heberling              +49 721 608 24782