Low-force AFM nanomechanics with higher-eigenmode contact resonance spectroscopy. 2012

Jason P Killgore, and Donna C Hurley
Materials Reliability Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO, USA. jason.killgore@nist.gov

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) methods for quantitative measurements of elastic modulus on stiff (>10 GPa) materials typically require tip-sample contact forces in the range from hundreds of nanonewtons to a few micronewtons. Such large forces can cause sample damage and preclude direct measurement of ultrathin films or nanofeatures. Here, we present a contact resonance spectroscopy AFM technique that utilizes a cantilever's higher flexural eigenmodes to enable modulus measurements with contact forces as low as 10 nN, even on stiff materials. Analysis with a simple analytical beam model of spectra for a compliant cantilever's fourth and fifth flexural eigenmodes in contact yielded good agreement with bulk measurements of modulus on glass samples in the 50-75 GPa range. In contrast, corresponding analysis of the conventionally used first and second eigenmode spectra gave poor agreement under the experimental conditions. We used finite element analysis to understand the dynamic contact response of a cantilever with a physically realistic geometry. Compared to lower eigenmodes, the results from higher modes are less affected by model parameters such as lateral stiffness that are either unknown or not considered in the analytical model. Overall, the technique enables local mechanical characterization of materials previously inaccessible to AFM-based nanomechanics methods.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries

Related Publications

Jason P Killgore, and Donna C Hurley
April 2010, Biochimica et biophysica acta,
Jason P Killgore, and Donna C Hurley
June 2021, Nanoscale horizons,
Jason P Killgore, and Donna C Hurley
January 2015, Beilstein journal of nanotechnology,
Jason P Killgore, and Donna C Hurley
October 2009, Current opinion in structural biology,
Jason P Killgore, and Donna C Hurley
January 2018, Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.),
Jason P Killgore, and Donna C Hurley
November 2010, Nanotechnology,
Jason P Killgore, and Donna C Hurley
January 2012, Journal of molecular recognition : JMR,
Jason P Killgore, and Donna C Hurley
January 2018, Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.),
Copied contents to your clipboard!