Functionalization of Scanning Force Microscopy Cantilevers via Galvanic Displacement Technique

A galvanic displacement technique is used to coat silicon scanning force microscopy cantilevers with copper. The copper coating is characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning force microscopy, contact angle measurements, scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. This coating technique results in uniform, reflective and conformal films and hence, no stress-induced bending of the cantilever is observed. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach for tribological studies, the coated cantilevers are chemically modified with alkanethiol monolayers in order to functionalize the cantilevers. The effect of changed surface energy are detected with adhesion measurements in water and ethanol.