Come visit us in Booth 300!
December 1 - 6 | Hynes Convention Center | Boston, MA
Meet us in Boston, MA for the annual MRS Fall Meeting, where we’ll be showcasing our versatile, forward-thinking solutions for materials science research and testing. Our nanomechanical test instruments, atomic force microscopes/probes, nanoIR spectrometers, and X-ray diffractometers and microscopes empower companies to continuously drive toward process and product improvement.
We invite you to connect with our experts on the expo floor and at their talks. Our team is excited to answer your questions, discuss your applications, and help you discover how Bruker’s advanced solutions can drive your research and development. See you there!
Conference Host:
Materials Research Society
Conference Venue:
Hynes Convention Center | Boston, MA, USA
Featured Talks
Investigating Domain Distributions in Polymer Composites and Their Influence on Macroscopic Performance Using AFM-IR and AFM-nDMA
Symposium: CH03
Date: Wednesday, Dec 4 | 3:30pm – 4:00pm |Sheraton, Third Floor, Tremont
Authors: Bede Pittenger1, Chunzheng Li1, Peter De Wolf1
1Bruker Corporation
Abstract: The macroscale performance of polymer composites is influenced by both the microstructure of the material and the mechanical properties of microscopic components. As confinement effects and interphase formation can alter the mechanical properties of the microphases, only high-resolution measurements performed directly on the composite can provide the local property distribution needed to understand the relationship between microstructure and bulk.
With its proven ability to map mechanical properties at the nanometer level, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has the resolution and sensitivity needed to investigate these microscopic domains. With careful calibration, nanomechanical results from AFM on homogeneous materials agree with bulk measurements from established rheological techniques like Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) and Nanoindentation. When AFM based mechanical property mapping techniques are applied to heterogeneous samples like polymer composites, new possibilities emerge for understanding the macroscopic behavior of these materials.
By additionally applying AFM-IR to the sample, it becomes possible to identify the spatial distribution of the chemical components of the composite -- providing insight into how to adjust the sample composition to maximize performance.
This presentation will discuss recent efforts to correlate bulk mechanical properties to nanoscale domain distribution. We will additionally demonstrate how co-located chemical composition maps and nanomechanical maps can be used to better understand composite behavior.
AFM-IR Depth Sensitivity, the Way to Tomographic Reconstruction
Symposium: CH03
Date: Thursday, Dec 5 | 9:15am – 9:45am |Sheraton, Third Floor, Tremont
Authors: Alexandre Dazzi1, Jeremie Mathurin1, Philippe Leclere2, Pierre Nickmilder2, Peter De Wolf3, Martin Wagner3, Qichi Hu3, Ariane Deniset-Besseau1
1Université Paris-Saclay, 2University of Mons, 3Bruker Nano GmbH
Abstract: The principle of AFM-IR technique is based on the coupling between a tunable infrared laser and an AFM (Atomic Force Microscope). The sample is irradiated with a pulsed nanosecond tunable laser. If the IR laser is tuned to a wavenumber corresponding to sample absorption band, the absorbed light is directly transformed into heat. This fast heating results in a rapid thermal expansion localized only in the absorption region detected by the AFM tip. Thus, the detection scheme is analogous to photo-acoustic spectroscopy, except that AFM tip and cantilever are used to detect and amplify the thermal expansion signal instead of a microphone in a gas cell. The thermal expansion induces cantilever oscillations that are rigorously proportional to the local absorption allowing to build up IR absorption spectra. These spectra use to correlate very well conventional IR absorption spectra collected by FT-IR spectroscopy. In addition, mapping oscillations amplitude versus tip position, for one specific wavenumber, gives a spatially resolved map of IR absorption that can be used to localize specific chemical functions1.
After 20 years of development and improvement the AFM-IR technique becomes now a robust and efficient tool for infrared analysis at nanometer scale. The AFM-IR system can now work in contact mode, tapping mode and peakforce tapping mode2,3,4 with sensitivity and resolution around 5 nm with spectra bandwidth about 0.5 cm-1 (linked to the pulsed laser properties). The domain of applications is really huge, covering many diverse research areas like materials and polymer science, life science, astrochemistry, and culture heritage1,4
The capability of AFM-IR subsurface sensitivity has been demonstrated by the surface sensitive mode2. Recently we have shown the possibility to change the probing depth of analysis and fully calibrated each operating mode with different cantilever types on soft material like polymers. The contact resonance mode is the most promising as each resonance modes possess is own specific probing depth which is inversely proportional to its frequency. This new outlook of the contact mode allows to propose a way to reconstruct the 3D shape of a non-absorbing polymer into an absorbing polymer matrix and this without destroying the sample. This opens to the AFM-IR technique a new mode of analysis and gives a unprecedent tool to characterize the polymer sample not only over the surface but also in depth.
References:
[1] A. Dazzi, C.B. Prater, Chem. Rev., 117, 7, 5146–5173, (2017).
[2] J. Mathurin et al., J. Appl. Phys. 131, 010901, (2022).
[3] J. Mathurin et al. A&A, 622 (2019).
[4] D. Kurouski et al., Chem. Soc. Rev. 49, 3315-3347, (2020).
Applying BioAFM to Study Structure and Mechanics of Biomaterials, Cells and Tissues in Life Science
Symposium: CH03
Date: Thursday, Dec 5 | 11:15am – 11:45am |Sheraton, Third Floor, Tremont
Authors: Florian Kumpfe1,Dimitar Stamov1,Joan-Carles Escolano1,Alexander Dulebo1,André Körnig1,Torsten Müller1,Thomas Henze1
1Bruker Nano GmbH
Abstract: Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a surface technique that can be successfully applied for comprehensive nanomechanical characterization of single molecules, cells and tissues, under near physiological conditions. Some of the current biomedical research trends feature development of novel nano- and biomaterials for regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, and sample diagnostics. Further advances in large biosample analysis are driven by the demand for mapping of biological samples that are often inhomogeneous, rough, and difficult to modify/adapt in their native state. Recent AFM developments have also led to unprecedented imaging rates in fluid, enabling temporal resolution on the sub-20-milisecond scale.
We will show several BioAFM applications demonstrating how high-speed AFM, with a temporal resolution on the second to millisecond scale, can be applied to resolve dynamic processes in biological systems. We will introduce the concept of automated large area multiparametric characterization of densely packed cell layers and highly corrugated tissue samples, where full automation, smart mechanical sample analysis, multiple scanner technology, and optical integration is critical for data throughput and reliable correlative microscopy. We will discuss how these developments, in combination with advanced optical microscopy techniques, can overcome the inherent drawbacks of traditional AFM systems for characterizing challenging biological samples.
