Atomic force microscopy characterization of cellulose nanocrystals.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are gaining interest as a "green" nanomaterial with superior mechanical and chemical properties for high-performance nanocomposite materials; however, there is a lack of accurate material property characterization of individual CNCs. Here, a detailed study of the topography, elastic and adhesive properties of individual wood-derived CNCs is performed using atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM experiments involving high-resolution dynamic mode imaging and jump-mode measurements were performed on individual CNCs under ambient conditions with 30% relative humidity (RH) and under a N(2) atmosphere with 0.

Strain energy and lateral friction force distributions of carbon nanotubes manipulated into shapes by atomic force microscopy.

The interplay between local mechanical strain energy and lateral frictional forces determines the shape of carbon nanotubes on substrates. In turn, because of its nanometer-size diameter, the shape of a carbon nanotube strongly influences its local electronic, chemical, and mechanical properties. Few, if any, methods exist for resolving the strain energy and static frictional forces along the length of a deformed nanotube supported on a substrate.

Oligodeoxyribonucleotide association with single-walled carbon nanotubes studied by SPM.

Studies have been performed on both as-received and chemically oxidized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) grown by two different growth methods to better understand the preferential association of the oligodeoxyribonucleotide T30 (ODN) with SWCNTs. Samples of T30 ODN:SWCNT were examined under ambient conditions using non-contact scanning probe microscope (SPM) techniques. The resulting images show different morphologies ranging from tangled networks of SWCNTs to individual, well-dispersed isolated SWCNTs as the sonication time is increased.