CuOx tip

This SMP-needle-tip-apex preparation method has been used
in conjunction with stiff cantilever AFM as an alternative to the CO molecule pick-up method.

The protruding single apex oxygen atom is much stiffer attached to the SPM-needle tip apex.
There is bond-stretching of three Cu-O bonds rather than bond-bending of a M-CO bond with the lever atm of the CO molecules length.

Compared to mechanosynthesis adapter molecules there is
much more limited control and design space in tip preparation. (wiki-TODO: Check the details.)

But these experiments may give a preview for
what more advanced stiffer tools will eventually be able to do in terms of:
– reduced tool-bending image distortion artifacts
– scanning capabilitiues at higher temperatures like lN_{2 77K rather than lHe 4K}

Related

• Stiff cantilever AFM (Scanning probe microscopy)
• Mechanosynthesis adapter molecule
• Mechanosynthesis, Force applying mechanosynthesis, Mechanosynthesis (disambiguation)

• Surface molecular systems

External links

Papers

2020 – High resolution noncontact atomic force microscopy imaging with oxygen-terminated copper tips at 78 K
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2020/nr/c9nr10450j
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2020/nr/c9nr10450j

(wiki-TODO: Add more of the CuOx nc-AFM papers)