New! AFM Undergraduate Curriculum
AFMWorkshop and Dalia Yablon, Ph.D. of Surface Char LLC, are pleased to announce the launch of: Laboratory-Based Curriculum for Atomic Force Microscopy: Atomic force microscopy to make nanoscale material and topographic measurements of materials.
This all-inclusive curriculum introduces students to the technology and instrumentation of atomic force microscopy. The background of the hardware and operating principles are reviewed, including the main modes covered in the labs: contact mode, tapping mode, and force spectroscopy.
Important applications of atomic force microscopy are discussed in the context of the laboratory assignments. Image processing with the freeware Gwyddion is used for various analyses associated with the labs. The curriculum contains a pre-lab quiz and analysis/questions for further discussion of each laboratory. Answers are provided in the accompanying Teacher Manual. Aside from the AFM instrument, no other material or parts are necessary!
CONTINUED...
Objectives of the AFM Curriculum include:
- Learn the basic operating principles behind atomic force microscopy.
- Understand and operate the main modes of AFM: contact mode, tapping mode, force spectroscopy.
- Operate an AFM to measure topography and compositional differences of a sample on the nanoscale.
- Conduct basic analysis on images, including statistics and cross-sectional measurements.
INCLUDED WITH THE CURRICULUM
Student Guide
Covers the background of AFM operation, modes, and application. Includes a step-by-step series of labs on contact mode, tapping mode, and force spectroscopy. This section also includes a pre-lab quiz for students as well as suggested analysis questions to be answered in the lab report write-ups.
Accompanying Teacher Manual
Accompaniment to student guide, assists teacher/teaching assistant to help students through labs. Includes answers to the pre-lab quiz and detailed answers with sample images to all the suggested analysis questions.
AFM Sample Kit
A series of 4 prepared, mounted samples ready to be inserted into the AFM instrument. Student guide curriculum directs the students through experiments on these samples.
AFM Probe Kit
A series of 8 probes of different spring constants to be used in the curriculum.
Laboratory Experiments detailed through the curriculum are:
- Measuring Roughness of Thin Films
- Measuring Compositional Heterogeneity of Everyday Materials
- Metrological Measurements
- Probing Mechanical Properties of a Substrate
For More Detailed information about the New Undergraduate AFM Curriculum, follow this link to our Learning Center.
