原子間力顕微鏡によるナノ粒子／水界面の高分解能計測

抄録

Recent advancement in atomic force microscopy (AFM), such as frequency modulation AFM (FM-AFM) and 3D-AFM, has enabled direct imaging of atomic-scale 2D or 3D structures at solid-liquid interfaces. However, application of such high-resolution AFM techniques to nanoparticle (NP) surface analysis is often impeded by the difficulties in fixing NPs onto a substrate. Here, we explain the principle of FM-AFM and 3D-AFM, and typical NP fixation techniques. We also introduce application examples of these techniques such as FM-AFM analysis of photocatalytic TiO₂ NPs and 3D-AFM analysis of antifouling SiO₂ NPs. These examples should highlight the effectiveness of these AFM techniques in NP analysis, leading to the advancement of the AFM applications in powder technology field.