Water desorption in Kelvin-probe force microscopy: A generic model

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Abstract

Nanoparticles or similar, nanoscale objects such as proteins or biological fibrils usually have to be deposited from aqueous suspension onto a solid support surface for further characterization by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and related methods such as Kelvin-probe force microscopy (KFM). Here we show, on the examples of functionalized nanoparticles and collagen fibrils, that water desorption after sample preparation affects their electrostatic potential determined by KFM in a predictable manner. We explain this effect with a simple, analytical model based on the capacitance of the partially dielectric-filled tip-sample system. We also propose practical measures to avoid false interpretation of electrical AFM-based experiments. As the phenomenon is very generic it may have significant implications in the application of AFM to nanoparticles and other nanostructures including biological ones.

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Mesquida, P., Kohl, D., Bansode, S., Duer, M., & Schitter, G. (2018). Water desorption in Kelvin-probe force microscopy: A generic model. Nanotechnology, 29(50). https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6528/aae413

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