APPLICATION OF ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY IN THE STUDY OF ADHESION IN POLYMER SYSTEMS (REVIEW)

Understanding of intermolecular interactions is the key to achieving control over materials at the molecular level, which is of great importance for various fields of physics and for nanotechnology. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is considered as a cutting-edge tool for the microscopic study of materials due to its capabilities for nanoscale spatial characterization. Over the past two decades the AFM-based nanomechanical characterization method has been widely used to investigate the mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of polymeric materials. This method allows direct visualization of the micromechanical properties of material surfaces and is called the AFM nanomechanics method. Atomic force microscopy has enabled the observation and manipulation of molecular and atomic level characteristics (i.e., measurement and manipulation of van der Waals forces), in addition to having a well-defined tip-sample geometry with higher force resolution. Another important application of AFM is force spectroscopy, where the AFM tip is advanced towards and retracted from the surface and the cantilever deflection is monitored as a function of piezoelectric displacement. This review discusses the application of AFM in the study of polymer composites with a special emphasis on the significant advances in tracking the microscopic deformation behavior and visualizing the stress distribution of materials. AFM studies of the adhesion properties of various polymers are presented. It is shown that the atomic force microscope is a modern precision device that is capable of investigating and accurately controlling the adhesion force at the nanometer scale and can be applied to a wide range of materials that are important in modern industries, such as pharmaceutical compounds, polymers, nanomaterials and semiconductors.