High-­Resolution Atomic Force Microscope for Materials and Surfaces Characterization

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This grant will be use to purchase an AFM instrument to provide 10 researchers of 3 different departments of the Faculty of science and Engineering at Universite Laval with an increased analytical capability at the nanoscale. In fact, the high-resolution AFM is very helpful for studying nanoparticles, polymer films morphology, biofilms, carbon nanomaterials and interfaces. This useful tool will support and ease the innovative research programs of more than 80 scientists from 10 research groups involved in materials science for different applications including development of new semiconductors for transistors and solar cells, vitreous materials for optic fibers, quantum dots for sensors, polymer nanocomposites, fluorescent nanoparticles and customized peptides for molecular recognition. The AFM requested is appropriate for all co-applicants working with very different types of molecules since the model selected is one of the most versatile on the market regarding the sample to analyze. Moreover, the high-resolution will be highly useful for those studying molecular systems. A new feature, the conducting AFM, will be highly useful for studying the electronic properties of materials at the nanoscale, thus providing a clear edge to the researchers involved in the area of organic electronics. Purchasing this equipment will aid in characterizing the physical properties of the studied new materials, which can be more cost- and time-effective than other characterization techniques. The absence of such instrument in the Faculty of Sciences and Engineering (FSG) forces the group of applicants to send their samples externally, impeding tremendously the progression of many projects and resulting in unnecessary spendings that could be used more fruitfully.There are no other similar instruments currently available to the researchers in the Faculty of Science and Engineering.