ANYL 17 |
| The use of an atomic force microscope (AFM) in determining the mechanical properties of and the adhesive interactions between nanoscale objects will be critically examined. We are currently using the AFM to measure adhesive interactions between substituted alkanes and the surface of single walled carbon nanotubes in hopes of diminishing nanotube aggregation in polymer composites. The conventional approach employs force volume imaging of bucky paper with chemically-modified probe tips. While the measured adhesion forces depend on the chemical moiety on the probe tip, such measurements are plagued by large uncertainties in contact area. To minimize this uncertainty, an alternative approach is being explored. Nanotubes attached to a probe tip are repeatedly brought into and out of contact with a chemically-modified substrate. Precise control over the length of nanotube in contact with the substrate is achievable by simultaneously monitoring cantilever deflection and resonance and correlating these with scanner movement. |
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Analytical Approaches
8:30 AM-12:00 PM, Sunday, 26 March 2006 Georgia World Congress Center -- B215, Oral
Division of Analytical Chemistry |