Amplitude response of multiwalled carbon nanotube probe with controlled length during tapping mode atomic force microscopy

Multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) atomic force microscope (AFM) probes were fabricated with controlled length using nanomanipulators inside scanning electron microscope. The amplitude-distance responses of MWCNT AFM probes were systematically studied experimentally. Several special characteristics of CNT AFM probes were observed, such as amplitude jump-into-zero, rebounds after the probe already touched the surface and large hysteresis during retraction. Transition from attractive to repulsive regions was also observed when the CNT is long and the amplitude is large. Tapping mode amplitude-distance curves were found to change regularly with the length of the carbon nanotubes and their tilting angle relative to the substrate surface normal. The results were comparable with previous theoretical predictions. Through direct observations by electron microscopes, MWCNT AFM probes were found to bend homogenously even when they were pushed toward the SiO2 wafer for several hundred nanometers after they had touched the surface of the substrate. By analyzing the results obtained from several probes it was found that the MWCNT AFM probes in tapping mode should be suitable for stable operation with proper length and working condition.Chemistry, PhysicalNanoscience & NanotechnologyMaterials Science, MultidisciplinarySCI(E)EI5ARTICLE4015631-1563611