Distinguishing between mechanical and electrostatic interaction in single pass multi frequency electrostatic force microscopy measurements on a molecular material

Abstract

Single-pass electrostatic force microscopy is postulated as one of the most advanced techniques in terms of spatial resolution and fastness in data acquisition for the study of electrostatic phenomena at the nanoscale. However, crosstalk anomalies, in which mechanical interactions combine with tip–sample electrostatic forces, are still a major issue to overcome, specifically in soft and biological samples. In this paper we propose a novel method based on bimodal-atomic force microscopy to distinguish mechanical crosstalk from electrostatic images. The method is based in the comparison of bimodal AFM images with electrostatic ones, where pure mechanical interaction can be discerned from a mixture of mechanical and electrostatic interactions. The proposed method is optimized and demonstrated using a supramolecular charge transfer material. Finally, the method is used as a tool to depict different crosstalk levels in tetrathiafulvalene-based (TTF) assemblies, discerning between electrical and mechanical interactions. This kind of observation is important for obtaining accurate descriptions of charge distribution in samples made from organic and molecular layers and materials