Abstract
Conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) is used to characterise the nanoscale electrical properties of many conducting and semiconducting materials. We investigate the effect of single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) modification of commercial Pt/Ir cantilevers on the sensitivity and image stability during C-AFM imaging. Pt/Ir cantilevers were modified with small bundles of SWCNTs via a manual attachment procedure and secured with a conductive platinum pad. AFM images of topography and current were collected from heterogeneous polymer and nanomaterial samples using both standard and SWCNT modified cantilevers. Typically, achieving a good current image comes at the cost of reduced feedback stability. In part, this is due to electrostatic interaction and increased tip wear upon applying a bias between the tip and the sample. The SWCNT modified tips displayed superior current sensitivity and feedback stability which, combined with superior wear resistance of SWCNTs, is a significant advancement for C-AFM.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 475708 |
Pages (from-to) | Art: 475708 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Nanotechnology |
Volume | 27 |
Issue number | 47 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 26 Oct 2016 |
Keywords
- atomic force microscopy
- cantilever
- carbon nanotubes
- conductivity
- sensitivity