Measurement of the contact potential difference (CPD) or work function of materials at the nanoscale is an important step in analyzing the link between their electronic structures and functions. Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) is a powerful analytical technique that has been widely applied for CPD measurement of photoactive materials and semiconductors. However, current KPFM techniques are limited in their spatial resolution to 30 – 100 nm in ambient conditions. The continually decreasing size and increasing complexity of photoactive and conductive materials will present future challenges in uncovering the important electrical properties through KPFM measurement. Here, we introduce a novel KPFM technique based on the peak force tapping mode of AFM. Our technique, named Pulsed force KPFM (PF-KPFM), is a single-pass technique that utilizes the intrinsic Fermi level alignment between the AFM tip and the conductive sample. Induced cantilever oscillations brought about by the transfer of electrons between tip and sample are extracted and used to obtain the Kelvin force measurement or the CPD measurement. The spatial resolution of PF-KPFM is shown to be 10 – 15 nm under ambient conditions. Furthermore, we show that PF-KPFM can be easily combined with peak force infrared microscopy (PFIR) to simultaneously reveal the chemical distribution at the surface, also with 10 nm spatial resolution. High-throughput chemical and electrical measurements of important materials such as perovskites allow for new studies directed at uncovering the link between chemical heterogeneity and electrical properties for emerging photoactive materials.

Simultaneous chemical and electrical mapping of photoactive materials with ~10 nm spatial resolution through the detection of induced cantilever oscillations

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.