Method of surface energy investigation by lateral AFM: application to control growth mechanism of nanostructured NiFe films

T I Zubar,D I Tishkevich,S V Trukhanov,D Michels,V M Fedosyuk,D Lyakhov,A V Trukhanov

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-71416-w

Abstract

A new method for the specific surface energy investigation based on a combination of the force spectroscopy and the method of nanofriction study using atomic force microscopy was proposed. It was shown that air humidity does not affect the results of investigation by the proposed method as opposed to the previously used methods. Therefore, the method has high accuracy and repeatability in air without use of climate chambers and liquid cells. The proposed method has a high local resolution and is suitable for investigation of the specific surface energy of individual nanograins or fixed nanoparticles. The achievements described in the paper demonstrate one of the method capabilities, which is to control the growth mechanism of thin magnetic films. The conditions for the transition of the growth mechanism of thin Ni80Fe20 films from island to layer-by-layer obtained via electrolyte deposition have been determined using the proposed method and the purpose made probes with Ni coating.

Highlights

A new method for the specific surface energy investigation based on a combination of the force spectroscopy and the method of nanofriction study using atomic force microscopy was proposed
Many attempts have been made to control the film growth mechanisms, and authors agree that the implementation of one or another growth mechanism depends on the ratio of the interaction or binding energy between the substrate and the nanograins (NGs) of the synthesized material
We propose a new technique for specific surface energy investigations suitable for studying separated NGs or microscopic local area

Summary

Introduction

A new method for the specific surface energy investigation based on a combination of the force spectroscopy and the method of nanofriction study using atomic force microscopy was proposed. Based on the classical models of contact interaction and the widely known method of studying nanofriction using A FM56,57, we have developed a new approach to predicting the behavior of NGs. This made it possible to explain the anomalous transition of the growth mechanisms of thin N i80Fe20 films. Nanofriction can be investigated by recording the AFM probe twisting during surface scanning in the contact mode.

Results

Conclusion