Abstract
Atomic force microscopy is a highly diversified technique adopted for surface analysis of polymeric surfaces. This analytical technique can create images of specimen surfaces made of nonconducting polymer without opting for any chemical etching or scratching. This technique can investigate diverse mechanical attributes that are not possible in other microscopic techniques because it does not entail the application of a powerful and destructive electron beam like in scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Besides surface analysis, an atomic force microscope (AFM) can determine the mechanical properties, surface adhesion power, chemical composition, molecular weight, polydispersity, and photo-oxidative destruction of polymeric samples, and various thermal phase transitions. Some special AFMs are used to understand the mechanism of action of proteins to develop various pharmacological drugs. Atomic force microscopy provides an analysis route to understand various proteins and their interactions with ligands to get unique information about these interactions and investigate other cellular communications. AFM is useful for studying natural and human-made fibers such as cotton, wool, silk, polyester, and viscose.
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