Nanoscale Chemical Imaging With Scanning Near-Field Infrared Microscopy

Published

June 1, 1999

Author(s)

Chris A. Michaels, Stephan J. Stranick, Lee J. Richter, Richard R. Cavanagh

Abstract

The development of a near-field microscope that utilizes infrared absorption as the optical contrast mechanism will be described. This instrument couples the nanoscale spatial resolution of a scanning probe microscope with the chemical specificity of vibrational spectroscopy. This combination allows the in situ mapping of chemical functional groups with subwavelength spatial resolution. Key elements of the microscope include: an IR light source producing ultrafast pulses with a FWHM bandwidth of 150 cm^-1, an infrared focal plane array based spectrometer allowing parallel detection of the entire pulse bandwidth with 4 cm^-1 resolution, and a near-field probe fabricated from fluoride glass fiber allowing single mode transmission from 2.2 microns to 4.5 microns. IR NSOM images of a TiO₂/acrylic melamine nanocomposite will be used to demonstrate the chemical imaging capabilities and spatial resolution of the microscope. Several prospective applications, including the study of solid superacid catalysts and polymer blend phase segregation, will also be described.

Citation

Nanoscale Chemical Imaging With Scanning Near-Field Infrared Microscopy

Pub Type

Others

Keywords

chemical imaging, infrared absorption, scanning microscopy, scanning near-field microscopy, scanning probe microscope

Citation

Michaels, C. , Stranick, S. , Richter, L. and Cavanagh, R. (1999), Nanoscale Chemical Imaging With Scanning Near-Field Infrared Microscopy, Nanoscale Chemical Imaging With Scanning Near-Field Infrared Microscopy (Accessed April 18, 2024)