Untapped Potential: Exploring Adaptations of Contact-Mode High-Speed AFM
Stacy Moore a, Tomas Martin a, Tom Scott a, Oliver Payton b, Loren Picco a b
a University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol, United Kingdom
b Bristol Nano Dynamics Ltd.
Proceedings of MATSUS Spring 2026 Conference (MATSUSSpring26)
G6 Operando and Correlative Characterization of Sustainable Materials and Interfaces
Barcelona, Spain, 2026 March 23rd - 27th
Organizers: Florian Hausen and Svetlana Menkin
Invited Speaker, Stacy Moore, presentation 158
Publication date: 15th December 2025

Contact-mode high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) is capable of mapping surface topography in air, liquid, and controlled gas environments with nanometre lateral resolution and sub-second temporal resolution (exceeding 20 frames per second). Video rate imaging speeds enable in-situ observations of dynamic nanoscale phenomena, as well as nanometre-scale mapping across millimetre-scale areas for measurements of rare features, feature distribution analysis, and large-area composite maps. HS-AFM is also able to map surface properties such as stiffness, thermal conductivity, or electrical conductivity with correlated topography.

The presented work explores new advances in the adaptations of this imaging technique to enable electrochemical mapping. Various experimental set-ups have been deployed in previous works to measure surface topography with parallel potentiostatic control, the proposed advances aim to spatially resolve these electrochemical signals and correlate them with simultaneous measurements of topography. This additional functionality aims to provide new insight into the nanoscale origins of electrochemical phenomena.

© FUNDACIO DE LA COMUNITAT VALENCIANA SCITO
We use our own and third party cookies for analysing and measuring usage of our website to improve our services. If you continue browsing, we consider accepting its use. You can check our Cookies Policy in which you will also find how to configure your web browser for the use of cookies. More info