Atomic Force Microscopy as a Quantitative Tool for Particle Characterization: From Microns to Angstrom Scale
S. K. Dora
Dr. S K. Dora, Scanning Probe Microscopy Division, Nano Magnetics Instruments UK, Mustafa Kemal Mahallesi, Dumlupinar Bulvari, Ankara, Turkey.
Manuscript received on January 12, 2017. | Revised Manuscript received on January 19, 2017. | Manuscript published on January 31, 2017. | PP: 10-14 | Volume-3 Issue-7, January 2017. | Retrieval Number: G0391013717
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© The Authors. Published By: Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: Nanoparticles constitute a crucial and technology intensive area of research and development in the continuous expanding field of nanotechnology. They are becoming increasingly important in many areas, including data storage, plasmonic, photonic, microelectronic, energy, pharmaceutical, biomedical, and cosmetics etc. Using Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), individual particles of varying sizes ranging from µm to sub-nanometer level can be resolved and unlike other microscopy techniques, the AFM offers visualization and quantitative analysis in three dimensions. In this manuscript, AFM was effectively used to characterize different particles (SnO2, ZnO and TiO2) whose sizes varied between µm to angstrom level on a mica substrate. Further, the possibility of combining AFM and image post processing software Gwyddion, to extract quantitative data even for angstrom size particles are demonstrated.
Keywords: AFM, Nanopartciles, Quantitative Analysis.