Atomic Force Microscope

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This application requests an atomic force microscope (AFM) that is capable of imaging nano-scale structures, such as polymer-functionalized carbon nanotubes, quantum dots, polymeric assemblies, and nano-structured surfaces. The requested instrument, a Bruker Multimode-8J equipped with a lift-mode option that enables electrical measurements, will be used by at least 8 different research groups at McMaster university, and is critically needed for the research being carried out. It will be a unique instrument within the Department of Chemistry at McMaster, with no other instrument of its type being available to chemistry research groups. In particular, it will be useful for a number of projects involving carbon nanotube purification using conjugated polymers, where the polymers are used to selectively wrap semiconducting and metallic structures. Within these projects, it is imperative to prove that carbon nanotubes are exfoliated into individual polymer:nanotube structures, which can only be done through visualization and measurement of height profiles by atomic force microscopy. In addition, this instrument will allow measurement of average nanotube length in a sample, which informs us about the impact of processing conditions on the integrity of the nanotube starting material. Every publication from our research group that deals with polymer interactions with carbon nanotubes requires AFM data, without which it is impossible to submit our papers to high-impact journals. Furthermore, this instrument will be used to analyze nanostructured surfaces and electrodes to gain an understanding of surface feature size as a function of preparation conditions. This will enable the production and analysis of new flexible and stretchable electrodes that will be used in the fabrication of new plastic electronics. Currently, the only AFM instrument available for these studies is over 20 years old, and has had extensive down-time in the past 3 years caused by malfunctioning components. The resolution of this instrument is no longer adequate, and does not allow us to collect data that is competitive on an international level. A modern replacement instrument is of critical importance to our research program, which is working to develop new materials that will be useful in numerous applications, including flexible touch screens, bendable displays, and stretchable transistors that will become integral components of future optoelectronic devices.