Publikationsrepositorium - Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
1 PublikationFast preparation and recycling method for colloidal probe cantilevers in hydrophobic mapping applications
Babel, B.; Rudolph, M.
Abstract
Probe contamination of atomic force microscope (AFM) tips with colloidal probes is limiting the lifetime of the probe and the reproducibility in force interaction measurements, rendering cantilevers useless. Earlier proposed cleaning methods like mechanical scrubbing, UV, plasma and solvent cleaning procedures have limitations especially for inorganic particulate contaminations. In this paper we demonstrate a fast procedure to recycle contaminated colloidal probe cantilevers and reequip them with pristine colloids without affecting the mechanical and structural properties of the cantilever. The proposed procedure reduces the total time for probe preparation and allows extended experimental test work with singular cantilevers reducing the deviations by cantilever calibration.
Keywords: Atomic force microcopy; recyclable cantilevers; fast colloidal probe preparation; adhesion imaging; contaminations
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MethodsX 6(2019), 651-659
DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2019.03.010
Cited 4 times in Scopus
Permalink: https://www.hzdr.de/publications/Publ-28484