Search results for "atomic force"

Applications of near-field optics to the characterization of optoelectronics components

1997

In the race towards purely optical communications, the necessity of producing integrated components is linked to the requirement for the precise characteriza-tion of optoelectronic components. Near-field detection techniques meet this requirement, AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy), for instance, can provide the topography of a given sample. In conjunction with these new tools, several different kinds of near-field optical microscopes (NFOM) have appeared. They enable the characteriza-tion of the components with a resolution better than that imposed by the Rayleigh criterion. This is primarily due to the fact that they are sensitive to the evanescent waves. This document presents several areas r…

Physics of Near-Field Optical Images

2005

Discriminating short-range from van der Waals forces using total force data in noncontact atomic force microscopy

2014

Noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) features the measurement of forces with highest spatial resolution and sensitivity, resolving forces of the order of pico-Newtons with submolecular resolution. However, the measured total force is a mixture composed of various interactions. While some interactions such as electrostatic or magnetic forces can be excluded by a careful design of the experiment, the subtraction of van der Waals forces, which mainly originate from London dispersion interactions between the macroscopic tip shank and the bulk sample, remains a challenge. We present the determination of the inherently present van der Waals forces in total interaction force data from fitti…

Atomic-resolution imaging of the polar (0001¯) surface of LiNbO3in aqueous solution by frequency modulation atomic force microscopy

2012

S. Rode,1 R. Holscher,2 S. Sanna,2 S. Klassen,1 K. Kobayashi,3 H. Yamada,3 W. G. Schmidt,2 and A. Kuhnle1,* 1Institut fur Physikalische Chemie, Fachbereich Chemie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universitat Mainz, Jakob-Welder-Weg 11, 55099 Mainz, Germany 2Lehrstuhl fur Theoretische Physik, Universitat Paderborn, 33095 Paderborn, Germany 3Department of Electronic Science and Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan (Received 31 March 2012; revised manuscript received 12 June 2012; published 29 August 2012)

Atomistic Simulations of Solid Friction

2002

Friction between two solid bodies in relative sliding motion takes place on a large spectrum of length and time scales: From the nanometer/second scale in an atomic force microscope up to the extremely macroscopic scales of tectonic motion. Despite our familiarity with the effects of friction, fundamental questions remain unanswered. The atomistic origins of well-established phenomenological friction laws are controversial. Many explanations, seemingly well-established, have recently been called into question by new experimental results. Computer simulations have also revealed flaws in previous theoretical approaches and led to new insights into the atomistic processes responsible for frict…

Charge compensation by long-period reconstruction in strongly polar lithium niobate surfaces

2013

The microscopic structure of the polar (000$\overline{1}$) and (0001) surfaces of lithium niobate is investigated by atomic-resolution frequency modulation atomic force microscopy and first-principles calculations. It is found that the surface reconstructs at annealing temperatures sufficiently high to drive off external adsorbates. In particular a ($\sqrt{7}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\sqrt{7}$)$R$19.1${}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ reconstruction is found for the (000$\overline{1}$) surface. Density-functional theory calculations show that---apart from the $(\sqrt{7}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\sqrt{7})$---a series of adatom-induced surface reconstructions exist that lower the surfa…

Status of the EPIC thin and medium filters on-board XMM-Newton after more than 10 years of operation I: laboratory measurements on back-up filters

2013

After more than ten years of operation of the EPIC camera on board the X-ray observatory XMM-Newton, we have reviewed the status of its Thin and Medium filters by performing both laboratory measurements on back-up filters, and analysis of data collected in-flight. We have selected a set of Thin and Medium back-up filters among those still available in the EPIC consortium, and have started a program to investigate their status by different laboratory measurements including: UV/VIS transmission, X-ray transmission, RAMAN IR spectroscopy, X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and Atomic Force Microscopy. We report the results of the measurements conducted up to now, and point out some lessons lear…

Bioinspired catechol-terminated self-assembled monolayers with enhanced adhesion properties

2013

The role of the catechol moiety in the adhesive properties of mussel proteins and related synthetic materials has been extensively studied in the last years but still remains elusive. Here, a simplified model approach is presented based on a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of upward-facing catechols thiol-bound to epitaxial gold substrates. The orientation of the catechol moieties is confirmed by spectroscopy, which also showed lack of significant amounts of interfering o-quinones. Local force-distance curves on the SAM measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) shows an average adhesion force of 45 nN, stronger than that of a reference polydopamine coating, along with higher reproducibility …

Surface-relief gratings in halogen-bonded polymer-azobenzene complexes A concentration-dependence study

2017

In recent years, supramolecular complexes comprising a poly(4-vinylpyridine) backbone and azobenzene-based halogen bond donors have emerged as a promising class of materials for the inscription of light-induced surface-relief gratings (SRGs). The studies up to date have focused on building supramolecular hierarchies, i.e., optimizing the polymer–azobenzene noncovalent interaction for efficient surface patterning. They have been conducted using systems with relatively low azobenzene content, and little is known about the concentration dependence of SRG formation in halogen-bonded polymer–azobenzene complexes. Herein, we bridge this gap, and study the concentration dependence of SRG formation…

Learning from nature: beta-sheet-mimicking copolymers get organized.

2007

The solution structures formed by coil-coil copolymers arise from the selective solvation of one of the two blocks and have been well described. In most cases in such relatively simple synthetic structures there are no specific attractive forces that can aid the aggregation process. Nature, however, provides plenty of inspiring polymeric architectures that are shaped and ordered hierarchically by noncovalent forces. The high level of structural definition displayed by proteins, for example, is unmatched by synthetic polymers. An emerging area of interest in polymer science tries to combine the best of both worlds, the natural and the synthetic, by conjugating synthetic polymers and beta-she…