This undergraduate laboratory experiment uses scanning force microscopy to perform chemical analysis at chemically designed surfaces. It involves lateral force measurements at self-assembled monolayers to provide chemical mapping capability. Monolayer patterns with different functional groups were prepared on gold substrates using a micro-contact printing method. The simplicity of the sample preparation and the relative ease of the microscope operation allowed students to gain hands-on experience in molecular assembling, image acquisition, and data interpretation. The images were analyzed and discussed in terms of tip-sample interaction forces and surface chemical composition of the patterned monolayers. This experiment helps students to grasp analytical concepts based on chemical interactions at atomic and molecular levels.
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Further details of SFM instrumentation, principles, and procedures are available.
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