With the integration of piezoelectric polymers in sensors and electronic devices, such as transducers, an accurate structural and electromechanical characterization down to the nanoscale becomes vital. As real-space, high resolution imaging technique, atomic force microscopy (AFM) accesses not only morphological sample information, but also resolves functional properties including nanomechanics, piezo-/ferroelectricity and electrical potential. Therefore, AFM is ideally suited for a holistic investigation of functional polymer samples with a nanometer resolution. Here, we demonstrate the capabilities of Park Systems’ research AFMs to image the piezoelectric and nanomechanical properties of PVDF fibers simultaneously via PinPointpiezoelectric force microscopy (PFM). PinPoint PFM prevents tip or sample damage via the elimination of shear forces and reduces topography crosstalk due to well defined tip-sample contact. The webinar will include a live measurement on our small sample NX10 research AFM.

Presented By : 
Ilka Hermes, Principle Scientist Park Systems Europe, Mannheim, Germany

Ilka is the principle scientist at Park Systems Europe, where she maintains and supports scientific collaborations to establish new research projects. Prior, she worked at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (Main Germany) in the group of Stefan Weber to investigate perovskite solar cells with electrical Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) modes, and at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in the group of Angelika Kühnle to characterize liquid-solid interfaces with high resolution AFM. Ilka’s primary fields of expertise include Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM), Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KFM), and conductive AFM on semiconducting and/or ferroelectric devices.