Journal of Advances in Nanomaterials

Download PDF (605.9 KB) PP. 73 - 81 Pub. Date: December 20, 2016

DOI: 10.22606/jan.2016.12004

• Thales F.D. Fernandes and Bernardo R. A. Neves^**
  Department of Physics, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, C.P. 702, 30123-970 Belo Horizonte, Brazil

This work explores an atomic force microscopy artifact that yields different topographic data depending on the scanning direction in contact mode. Such artifact is associated with differences in friction coefficients across the sample, which leads to up to 500% difference in topographic data of 2D materials. An analytical theory is used to explain quantitatively this artifact. Nevertheless, on the bright side, such artifact also yields a straightforward methodology, which effectively maps friction coefficients across any 2D material without the need of cantilever spring constant calibration.

AFM; Contact-mode; friction coefficient; Euler-Bernoulli equation; 2D materials.

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