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Why can atomic force microscopy examine samples in air or underwater?
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surface analysis
A scanning-electron-microscope photograph of pyroxene and plagioclase crystals (the long and the short crystals, respectively) that grew in a cavity in a fragment of Moon rock gathered during the Apollo 14 mission.
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is capable of examining samples in air or underwater because it does not require a vacuum environment to function. Unlike other surface analysis techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), AFM profiles a sample by measuring the physical forces between an atomically sharp stylus and the surface topography.1
Because the instrument relies on these mechanical interactions rather than electron beamsāwhich would be scattered by air moleculesāit can operate in ambient conditions or liquid environments. Additionally, AFM is advantageous because it does not require the sample to be coated, allowing for the direct imaging of surfaces in their native states.1