Scanning ion conductance microscopy with simultaneous force recording

Abstract

Due to its non-contact ion sensing feedback, the scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) enables high-resolution imaging of soft samples non-invasively. Nonetheless, forces are still exerted on the samples and can bring additional/complementary information to a conductance mapping when properly recorded. This paper reports a novel paradigm for simultaneous force sensing and SICM mapping. The approach combines SICM with standard optical beam detection atomic force microscope (AFM) through the recently emerged fluidic force microscope (FluidFM) which successfully fused microfluidics and AFM.