Electrostatic-free piezoresponse force microscopy
- Journal: scientific reports
- Published Year: 2017
- Authors: Sungho Kim, Daehee Seol, Xiaoli Lu, Marin Alexe, Yunseok Kim
- Application: Piezoelectric Sensors and Actuators, Ferroelectric Memory, Nanogenerators, Energy Harvesting, Quality Control
Summary
This study investigates how unwanted electrostatic forces can distort nanoscale measurements of piezoelectric materials using piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). Using a Park NX10 atomic force microscope (AFM) with Pt/Ir-coated probes, the researchers showed that soft probes (3 N/m) can give false signals, especially on materials with high surface potential like LiNbO₃. They corrected this by applying a voltage offset or using stiffer probes (42 N/m), recovering accurate measurements of piezoelectric properties. Their study helps improve the reliability of AFM-based techniques for analyzing smart materials used in sensors, actuators, and energy devices.
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