Development of a Force Feedback Microscope

In this thesis we report the development of the force feedback microscopy technique, an alternative methodology to the conventional atomic force microscope. This novel technique replaces some core instrumental subsystems of conventional AFMs, leading to several key differences in its function, which were explored during the work performed. We report here the development of a prototype of this instrument, specifically designed to showcase the key advantages of the force feedback microscopy technique. The new instrument was the object of a comprehensive characterization, with the development of several calibration protocols which took advantages of the technique’s main valences to provide direct, traceable measurements of the instrument performance. Finally, we showcase the use of the microscope in the experimental study of several systems which use and take advantage of main specific characteristics of the force feedback methodology. Topics such as nanofriction, capillary condensation, nanomechanics or protein-protein interactions were analyzed with the new instrument, showing that this technique is especially tuned for the study of interactions at the nanoscale