True molecular resolution in tapping-mode atomic force microscopy with high-resolution probes

Abstract

True molecular resolution was demonstrated in tapping-mode atomic force microscopy study of polydiacetylene crystal using carbon probes with an extremity of ∼1 nm. Images of the bc plane of the crystal, which were obtained at ambient conditions, reproduce the crystallographic molecular arrangement. The image features directly correspond to the edges of the individual side groups of the polymer chains, which form the crystal surface. In the consecutive images, the molecular-size defects have been observed on this surface as an additional proof of the true molecular resolution achieved with the probes.