PeakForce TUNA and NanoMechanics Lab AFM Upgrade

该应用程序要求升级到原子力显微镜（AFM），以实现纳米级结构（如聚合物功能化碳纳米管、量子点、聚合物组件、水凝胶和纳米结构表面）的电导率和机械性能的超高分辨率映射。所要求的仪器包括一个峰力隧道AFM （TUNA）应用模块和纳米化学nDMA附件，用于我们的Dimension ICON AFM。通过这次升级，ICON AFM将获得一套独特的先进纳米级材料表征能力，这是加拿大其他任何地方都无法获得的。特别是，它将对一些涉及使用共轭聚合物净化碳纳米管的项目有用，其中聚合物用于选择性地包裹半导体和金属结构。在这些项目中，必须证明碳纳米管被剥离成单独的半导体或金属结构，这可以通过在AFM中使用PeakForce TUNA测量在纳米尺度上测量电导率来实现。此外，nDMA附件将允许我们测量许多样品的粘弹性特性（存储和损失模量），粘附性和摩擦力，包括用于生物材料和药物输送应用的水凝胶，以及用于细胞生长的支架。这些数据对我们研究实验室取得的进展至关重要，没有这些数据，我们就不可能向高影响力的期刊提交论文。这次升级不仅将提供原子力显微镜所能提供的最先进的功能和测量，而且还将显著提高麦克马斯特大学许多研究小组的研究能力和国际竞争力。它还将使目前在加拿大任何地方都不可能进行的尖端研究成为可能，并将导致在应用领域发现新现象，如用于未来护理点诊断的纳米级电子设备、非法药物的路边检测、维持安全环境的新感官设备、有助于治疗和根除疾病的新药物输送结构，以及将改善加拿大人健康和寿命的新生物材料。该设备将对麦克马斯特研究人员未来能够解决的问题和挑战类型产生深远的影响。

This application requests an upgrade to an atomic force microscope (AFM) that enables ultra-high-resolution mapping of both conductivity and mechanical properties of nano-scale structures, such as polymer-functionalized carbon nanotubes, quantum dots, polymeric assemblies, hydrogels, and nano-structured surfaces. The requested instrument includes a PeakForce Tunneling AFM (TUNA) Application Module and the Nanochechanics nDMA accessory for our Dimension ICON AFM. With this upgrade, the ICON AFM will gain a unique set of capabilities for advanced nanoscale materials characterization that is unavailable anywhere else in Canada. 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 semiconducting or metallic structures, which can best be done through measurement of conductivity at the nano-scale using PeakForce TUNA measurements in the AFM. In addition, the nDMA accessory will allow us to measure viscoelastic properties (storage and loss modulus), adhesion, and friction on numerous samples, including hydrogels for biomaterials and drug delivery applications, as well as scaffolds for cell growth. This data is critical to the advances being made in our research labs, without which it is impossible to submit our papers to high-impact journals. This upgrade will not only provide access to the most advanced features and measurements that atomic force microscopy can offer, but will also significantly improve the research capabilities and international competitiveness of many research groups at McMaster. It will also enable cutting-edge research that is not currently possible anywhere in Canada, and will lead to the discovery of new phenomena in application areas such as nano-scale electronics for future point-of-care diagnostics, roadside detection of illicit drugs, new sensory equipment to maintain safe environments, new drug delivery constructs that will help treat and eradicate disease, and new biomaterials that will improve the health and longevity of Canadians. This equipment will have a profound impact on the types of problems and challenges that McMaster researchers will be able to address in the future.