2003/05/05 by Bernardo Ballesteros Katemann, Albert Schulte, Wolfgang Schuhmann · 5 citations
Chemistry · Physics and Astronomy · Chemical Engineering · #Electrochemical Analysis and Applications #Force Microscopy Techniques and Applications #Analytical Chemistry and Sensors #Scanning electrochemical microscopy #Optics #SIGNAL (programming language) #Amplifier #Shear force #Materials science #Non-contact atomic force microscopy #Piezoelectricity #Vibration #Amplitude #Acoustics #Optoelectronics #Microscopy #Physics #Kelvin probe force microscope #Electrode
paper · doi:10.1002/chem.200204267
openalex publication_date 2003/05/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/26
A non-optical shear-force-based detection scheme for accurately controlling the tip-to-sample distance in scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) is presented. With this approach, the detection of the shear force is accomplished by mechanically attaching a set of two piezoelectric plates to the scanning probe. One of the plates is used to excite the SECM tip causing it to resonate, and the other acts as a piezoelectric detector of the amplitude of the tip oscillation. Increasing shear forces in close proximity to the sample surface lead to a damping of the vibration amplitude and a phase shift, effects that are registered by connecting the detecting piezoelectric plate to a dual-phase analogue lock-in amplifier. The shear force and hence distance-dependent signal of the lock-in amplifier is used to establish an efficient, computer-controlled closed feedback loop enabling SECM imaging in a constant-distance mode of operation. The details of the SECM setup with an integrated piezoelectric shear-force distance control are described, and approach curves are shown. The performance of the constant-distance mode SECM with a non-optical detection of shear forces is illustrated by imaging simultaneously the topography and conductivity of an array of Pt-band microelectrodes.