The effect of surface roughness on the vibration behavior of AFM piezoelectric MC in the vicinity of sample surface in air environment based on MCS theory

Recent developments in the field of piezoelectric materials have led to the increasing use of piezoelectric materials in a variety of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Utilizing piezoelectric layer as a sensor and actuator not only reduces the size of microscope but also enhances the quality of surface topography in Micro and Nano scales. In the current study, the effect of surface roughnesson the vibration behavior of AFM piezoelectric micro cantilever (MC) has been investigated in Micro and Nano scales according to the types of the surface roughness. Furthermore, the micro cantilever modelling has been schemed based on the Modified Couple Stress (MCS) theoryin order to model the vibration amplitude of AFM piezoelectric MC that precisely indicates the measured surface roughness. Besides, according to the various modelling of surface roughness, the effect of roughness radius on the minimum and maximum amplitude of Piezoelectric MC has been studied based on the geometry of roughness in air environment. In this environment, the effect of environmental forces including van der Waals, Capillary and contact forces on the vibration amplitude of MC forms the basis of surface topography which has, also, been studied in this article. Moreover, the present study intends to investigate the effect of surface roughness on the vibrating amplitude of MC in both the Tapping and Non-Contact Modes.     

范德华力对硅基微悬臂梁抗粘附稳定性的影响

通过在硅微悬臂梁与基底表面上涂覆低表面能的憎水性OTS(CH3(CH2)17SiCl3)膜,以除去接触面间的表面张力;把梁与基底均接地,以除去接触面间的静电力,研究仅有范德华力作用时,硅微悬臂梁结构的抗粘附稳定性.根据两接触面均为粗糙表面的微观实际接触模型,在接触表面产生塑性变形的情况下,计算范德华粘附能大小,并分析表面形貌对其影响,得到粗糙表面接触的微梁抗粘附临界长度.     

Analysis of dynamic cantilever behavior in tapping mode atomic force microscopy

Tapping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) provides phase images in addition to height and amplitude images. Although the behavior of tapping mode AFM has been investigated using mathematical modeling, comprehensive understanding of the behavior of tapping mode AFM still poses a significant challenge to the AFM community, involving issues such as the correct interpretation of the phase images. In this paper, the cantilever's dynamic behavior in tapping mode AFM is studied through a three dimensional finite element method. The cantilever's dynamic displacement responses are firstly obtained via simulation under different tip‐sample separations, and for different tip‐sample interaction forces, such as elastic force, adhesion force, viscosity force, and the van der Waals force, which correspond to the cantilever's action upon various different representative computer‐generated test samples. Simulated results show that the dynamic cantilever displacement response can be divided into three zones: a free vibration zone, a transition zone, and a contact vibration zone. Phase trajectory, phase shift, transition time, pseudo stable amplitude, and frequency changes are then analyzed from the dynamic displacement responses that are obtained. Finally, experiments are carried out on a real AFM system to support the findings of the simulations. Microsc. Res. Tech. 78:935–946, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The systematic design and fabrication of a three-chopstick microgripper

In this study, we constructed a new type of gripper for micron-sized objects using piezoelectric multi-layer benders. This new gripper is composed of three chopsticks: two are designed to grip micro-objects, and the third is used to help grasp and release the objects. It is well known that a micro-object is much easier to grasp than to release. Electrostatic, van der Waals forces and surface tension between the chopsticks and object are believed to be the main causes of adhesion. We introduced a third auxiliary chopstick to overcome these surface effects and to reduce the electrostatic forces between the object and chopsticks. All three chopsticks were made of tungsten wires with ends sharpened by etching, which minimises the van der Waals effect. We constructed a three-chopstick gripper for micro-objects and tested its functionality by holding and releasing a 100-micron diameter object. The experiment showed that the third auxiliary chopstick functions effectively.     

Gaining insight into the physics of dynamic atomic force microscopy in complex environments using the VEDA simulator

Dynamic atomic force microscopy (dAFM) continues to grow in popularity among scientists in many different fields, and research on new methods and operating modes continues to expand the resolution, capabilities, and types of samples that can be studied. But many promising increases in capability are accompanied by increases in complexity. Indeed, interpreting modern dAFM data can be challenging, especially on complicated material systems, or in liquid environments where the behavior is often contrary to what is known in air or vacuum environments. Mathematical simulations have proven to be an effective tool in providing physical insight into these non-intuitive systems. In this article we describe recent developments in the VEDA (virtual environment for dynamic AFM) simulator, which is a suite of freely available, open-source simulation tools that are delivered through the cloud computing cyber-infrastructure of nanoHUB (www.nanohub.org). Here we describe three major developments. First, simulations in liquid environments are improved by enhancements in the modeling of cantilever dynamics, excitation methods, and solvation shell forces. Second, VEDA is now able to simulate many new advanced modes of operation (bimodal, phase-modulation, frequency-modulation, etc.). Finally, nineteen different tip-sample models are available to simulate the surface physics of a wide variety different material systems including capillary, specific adhesion, van der Waals, electrostatic, viscoelasticity, and hydration forces. These features are demonstrated through example simulations and validated against experimental data, in order to provide insight into practical problems in dynamic AFM.     

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Lubricant Redistribution and Transfer at Near-Contact Head-Disk Interface

When the spacing between the slider and lubricant in a hard disk drive decreases to less than 5 nm, the effect of the intermolecular force between these two surfaces can no longer be ignored. This effect on the lubricant distribution at the near-contact head disk interface is investigated via molecular dynamics method. In this study, the lubricant is confined between a smooth disk surface and a rough slider surface represented as a partially cosinusoidal wave. The simulation results reveal that the intermolecular force-induced meniscus formation at the near-contact head disk interface is strongly sensitive to the slider-to-disk separation, lubricant film thickness and the asperity shape (or roughness) of the slider. The attractive van der Waals forces between the slider and lubricant become weaker with increasing slider-to-disk separation and asperity mid-height, but decreasing lubricant film thickness and asperity mid-width. The Hamaker theory application to van der Waals interactions is also introduced to verify the molecular dynamics simulation. It is found that the critical separation, below which the lubricant will lose its stability to form a meniscus, increases approximately linearly with the lubricant film thickness, for slider surfaces with or without roughness both in the molecular dynamics simulation and Hamaker theory application to van der Waals interactions. Moreover, it is observed that the critical separation between a smooth disk and rough slider surface will slightly decrease when the asperity mid-height increases. The same phenomenon is observed when the asperity mid-width reduces.     

On the Transition from Bulk to Ordered Form of Water: A Theoretical Model to Calculate Adhesion Force Due to Capillary and van der Waals Interaction

The adhesion force due to capillary interaction between two hydrophilic surfaces is strongly dependent on the partial pressure of water and is often calculated using the Kelvin equation. The validity of the Kelvin equation is questionable at low relative humidity (RH) of water, like in high vacuum and dry nitrogen environments, where water is only present as layers of several molecules thick at the surfaces. A model from ordered to bulk form of water has been developed using the Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller adsorption model. The results show that the adhesion force calculated using the Young–Laplace and Kelvin equations at low (5–30 %) RH is underestimated. The total adhesion force shows changes when the RH is changed from 0 to 100 %. In dry conditions, at RH below 10 %, the total adhesion force is contributed by the van der Waals interaction due to solid–solid contact. The total adhesion force then increases and remains constant being equal to the superposition of van der Waals interaction due to solid–solid contact and van der Waals interaction due to adsorbed water layers on the surfaces. The total adhesion force further increases slowly with the increase in RH incorporating capillary forces and then decreases at very high RH due to screening of van der Waals forces. This change in adhesion force occurs from solid–solid interaction to ordered form of water at low RH and from ordered form to bulk form of water at high RH along with the screening effect of van der Waals interaction. The results have been compared with the experiments and it has been seen that at small length scales, the model is in agreement with the existing experimental data. However, at large length scales roughness of the surfaces should be taken into account.     

Adhesion Analysis Considering van der Waals Force in a NanoSized Region Using the Boundary Element Method

Recently, micro- and nanomachines for microelectromechanical systems and the mechanism of bio-adhesive pads have attracted great interest. Nanoscale structures are affected by forces such as the van der Waals force, even though they are neglected in large-scale structures. In this paper, the van der Waals force is introduced to a boundary element method (BEM) program for analyzing adhesion in arbitrarily shaped bodies. The van der Waals force is described by a nonlinear function of the distance between two surfaces in close proximity, and the adhesion and repulsion forces vary greatly within the atom equilibrium distance. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain a solution for the simultaneous equation in the BEM. We propose a method to compute the body deformation and apply it to the adhesion between a cylinder and a flat, rigid substrate. The solution is compared with previously published theoretical results, and the validity of the algorithm for approaching the solution is demonstrated. Further calculations for the adhesive contact of softer and harder cylinders with a rigid substrate are conducted.     

Explanation and correction of false step heights in amplitude modulation atomic force microscopy measurements on alkane films

We use a prototypical alkane film (n-C(32)H(66) or C32) adsorbed on a SiO(2) surface to compare step heights measured by amplitude modulation atomic force microscopy (AM-AFM) with those measured in the contact mode. The C32 film exhibits layers in which the molecules are oriented with their long axis parallel to the SiO(2) surface followed by partial layers of perpendicular molecules. We show that step heights measured in the AM and contact modes agree in all cases except where the step is between a surface formed by a layer of parallel molecules and one of perpendicular molecules. In this case, the AM mode gives a false step height that is as much as 20% lower than that measured in the contact mode and inferred from synchrotron X-ray specular reflectivity measurements. We propose that the weaker van der Waals forces between the AFM tip and a perpendicular layer compared to a parallel layer causes this discrepancy. We show how to correct the false step height by using the approximately linear relationship observed between phase angle (cantilever oscillation relative to the drive signal) and cantilever height measured in an approach curve.     

Charge Contribution to the Adhesion Performance of Polymeric Microstructures

Strong attachment of many insects with microstructured attachment pads is due to the Van der Waals interactions or/and the capillary forces between the pads and substrates. To establish initial contact between two surfaces a certain normal force should be applied. The presence of the charges on surfaces could facilitate or impede the initial contact formation. In this study, forces appearing due to the contact electrification of microstructured material mimicking beetle adhesive pads were measured and their influence on the contact formation was discussed. The experiments have clearly demonstrated that static charges contribute to an initial contact establishment in materials with the mushroom-shaped microstructure, whereas Van der Waals interactions or/and capillary forces have the main contribution at pull-off. A simple model was successfully used for data analysis and extraction information about the charge distribution. The effect of the jump-in due to the electrostatic interaction has to be considered during the development of further implementation of biologically inspired microstructured adhesives.     

Novel operation mode for eliminating influence of inclination angle and friction in atomic force microscopy

The accuracy of topography imaging in contact force mode of atomic force microscopy (AFM) depends on the one-to-one corresponding relationship between the cantilever deflection and the tip–sample distance, whereas such a relationship cannot be always achieved in the presence of friction and incline angle of sample surface. Recently, we have developed a novel operation mode in which we keep the van der Waals force as constant instead of the applied normal force, to eliminate the effect of inclination angle and friction on topography imaging in the contact force mode. We have improved our AFM to enable the new operation mode for validation. Comparative experiments have been performed and the results have shown that the effect of friction and inclination angle on topography imaging in contact mode of AFM can be eliminated or at least decreased effectively by working in the new operation mode we present.     

Geometric parameters effect of the atomic force microscopy smart piezoelectric cantilever on the different rough surface topography quality by considering the capillary force

Nowadays, the atomic force microscopy (AFM) is widely used in the nanotechnology as a powerful nano‐robot. The surface topography in Nanoscale is by far one of the most important usages of the AFM device. Hence, in this article, the vibration motion of a piezoelectric rectangular cross‐section micro‐cantilever (MC) which oscillates in the moist environment has been examined based on the Timoshenko beam theory. After extracting the MC governing equations according to Hamilton's principle, the finite element method has been used to discretize the motion equations. The surface topography has been simulated for various roughness forms in the tapping and non‐contact modes by considering the effects of the Van der Waals, capillary and contact forces. Also, the experimental results obtained from the glass surface topography have been simulated. The results illustrate that the time delay in higher natural frequencies in the tapping mode is shorter in comparison with the non‐contact mode, especially, for the lower natural frequencies. The sensitivity analysis of the natural frequencies, topography depth and time delay have been simulated. Results indicate that the most effective parameter is the MC length. In the first mode, the first section length has the highest effect on the surface topography time delay, also, in the second vibration mode; the most effective parameter on the time delay is the MC tip length based on the simulation results.     

Investigation of buckling of double-walled carbon nanotubes embedded in an elastic medium using the energy method

Elastic buckling of a long double-walled carbon nanotube embedded in an elastic medium and subjected to a far-field hydrostatic pressure is analyzed using the energy method. The study is on the basis of elastic-shell models at nano-scale, and the effect of van der Waals forces on the buckling is considered. The double-walled carbon nanotube is assumed to be thin and the tube is taken to be perfectly bonded to the surrounding medium. Both normal and shear stresses at the outer tube-medium interface are included. The difference between the Poisson's ratio of the tube and that of the elastic medium is taken into account. An expression is derived relating the external pressure to the buckling mode number, from which the critical pressure can be obtained. As a result, the critical pressure is dependent on the inner radius-to-thickness ratio, the material parameters of the elastic medium, and the van der Waals force.     

Analysis of the atomic force microscopy vibration behavior using the Timoshenko theory by multi‐scale method in the air environment

This article deals with the modeling and simulation of the vibration behavior of piezoelectric micro‐cantilever (MC) based on the Timoshenko theory and using multi‐scale (MTS) method in the air environment. In this regard, the results are compared with the previous literature, such as the finite element method and the MTS method. The analysis of the piezoelectric MC vibrating behavior is investigated in a dynamical mode including non‐contact and tapping modes. The dynamics of this system is affected by interferential forces between probe tip and sample surface, such as van der Waals, capillary, and contact forces. According to the results, the forces applied to the probe tip reduce the amplitude and the resonance frequency. The simulation of surface topography in non‐contact mode and tapping for rectangular and wedge‐shaped roughness in the air environment are presented. Various experiments have been conducted in Ara research Company using the atomic force microscopy device in the amplitude mode. In the NSC15 Cantilever, the first natural frequency is derived from the results of the MC simulation based on Timoshenko beam theory, the practical results are 295.85 and 296.12 kHz, and the error rate is 0.09; at higher natural frequencies, the error rate has been increased. The γ _f coefficient is a measure of the nonlinear effects on the system; the effect of the piezoelectric length and width on γ _f coefficient is also investigated.     

Effects of surface forces and surface roughness on squeeze thin film of elastohydrodynamic lubricated spherical conjunction

The pure squeeze thin film elastohydrodynamic lubrication motion of circular contacts with effects of surface forces and surface roughness taken into account is explored under constant load conditions. The coupled transient stochastic Reynolds, elasticity deformation, the load balance, surface forces (hydrodynamic, solvation and van der Waals pressure) and lubricant rheology equations were solved simultaneously by using the finite difference method and the Gauss–Seidel iteration method. The simulation results reveal that the differences between radial type roughness and circular type roughness problems are apparent as the film thickness is thinner than 5 nm. The oscillation phenomena in pressure and film thickness come mainly from the action of solvation forces. The effects of surface forces become significant as the film thickness becomes thinner. The film thickness with circular type roughness is thicker than that with radial type roughness. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

FTIR spectroscopy and nanotribological comparative studies: influence of the adsorbed water layers on the tribological behaviour

Under ambient conditions, a water film is always present on a silica substrate and generates additional capillary forces between the nanotip and the studied surface. In the present paper, we report AFM measurements of pull-off and friction forces as a function of the temperature and a comparative FTIR spectroscopy study. The AFM results show a net decrease of the forces as the temperature increases, while the IR spectroscopy indicates that the liquid film is removed at high temperature. Consequently, we deduce that a liquid neck is created between the tip and the surface and that the forces measured are mostly capillary forces. The present work shows that temperature studies with AFM can be a useful way to probe the influence of the capillary force in turn to characterize surface properties.     

Static and Dynamic Pull-In Instability of Nano-Beams Resting on Elastic Foundation Based on the Nonlocal Elasticity Theory

This paper provides the static and dynamic pull-in behavior of nano-beams resting on the elastic foundation based on the nonlocal theory which is able to capture the size effects for structures in micron and sub-micron scales. For this purpose, the governing equation of motion and the boundary conditions are driven using a variational approach. This formulation includes the influences of fringing field and intermolecular forces such as Casimir and van der Waals forces. The differential quadrature (DQ) method is employed as a high-order approximation to discretize the governing nonlinear differential equation, yielding more accurate results with a considerably smaller number of grid points. In addition, a powerful analytical method called parameter expansion method (PEM) is utilized to compute the dynamic solution and frequency-amplitude relationship. It is illustrated that the first two terms in series expansions are sufficient to produce an acceptable solution of the mentioned structure. Finally, the effects of basic parameters on static and dynamic pull-in instability and natural frequency are studied.     

Compositional mapping of bitumen using local electrostatic force interactions in atomic force microscopy

In recent years, many researchers have investigated bitumen surface morphology, especially the so‐called bee‐like structures, in an attempt to relate the chemical composition and molecular conformation to bitumen micromechanics and ultimately performance properties. Even though recent studies related surface morphology and its evolution to stiffness and stress localization, the complex chemical nature of bitumen and its time‐ and temperature‐dependent properties still engender significant questions about the nature and origin of the observed morphological features and how they evolve due to exposure to various environmental and loading conditions. One such question is whether the observed surface features are formed from wax or from the coprecipitation of wax and asphaltene. Our prior work was mainly theoretical; it used density functional theory and showed that the coprecipitation theory may not stand, mainly because wax–asphaltene interactions are not thermodynamically favourable compared to wax–wax interactions. This paper presents a comprehensive approach based on experiments to study surface morphology of bitumen and conduct compositional mapping to shed light on the origin of the bee‐like surface morphological features. We used Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), with the main focus being on single‐pass detection and mapping of local electric properties, as a novel approach to enhance existing compositional mapping techniques. This method was found to be highly effective in differentiating various domains with respect to their polarity. The results of our study favour the hypothesis that the bee‐like features are mainly composed of wax, including a variety of alkanes.     

Mechanism of transfer film formation during repeat pass sliding of ceramic materials

The formation of transfer film and the consequent effects on the friction and wear behavior of ceramic materials during repeat sliding contact were studied. This was done using four structural ceramics, namely silicon nitride, silicon carbide, alumina and zirconia, with a cylinder-on-flat test configuration.

The transfer film consists of reattached fine wear debris particles, the film, whenever formed, is strongly attached, enough to resist being wiped off by the slider. Calculations suggest that the fine particles are attached primarily by van der Waals forces and to a lesser extent by electrostatic attractive forces. As a consequence, the formation of transfer film leads to a decrease in the wear rate because of the ‘protecting’ role of the film. The presence of the film at the contact interface also results in high friction. The presence of a liquid environment and/or surface active species reduces the particle adhesive forces and hence can inhibit the formation of a transfer film.     

Energy dissipation and dynamic response of an amplitude-modulation atomic-force microscopy subjected to a tip-sample viscous force

In a common environment of atomic force microscopy (AFM), a damping force occurs between a tip and a sample. The influence of damping on the dynamic response of a cantilever must be significant. Moreover, accurate theory is very helpful for the interpretation of a sample's topography and properties. In this study, the effects of damping and nonlinear interatomic tip-sample forces on the dynamic response of an amplitude-formulation AFM are investigated. The damping force is simulated by using the conventional Kelvin-Voigt damping model. The interatomic tip-sample force is the attractive van der Waals force. For consistance with real measurement of a cantilever, the mathematical equations of the beam theory of an AM-AFM are built and its analytical solution is derived. Moreover, an AFM system is also simplified into a mass-spring-damper model. Its exact solution is simple and intuitive. Several relations among the damping ratio, the response ratio, the frequency shift, the energy dissipation and the Q-factor are revealed. It is found that the resonant frequencies and the phase angles determined by the two models are almost same. Significant differences in the resonant quality factors and the response ratios determined by using the two models are also found. Finally, the influences of the variations of several parameters on the error of measuring a sample's topography are investigated.