Materials characterization by analysis of force-distance curves: an introduction to nano-mechanical measures and experimentation for undergraduate students

Abstract

We present an analysis and interpretation of force-distance curves by contact mode AFM in order to obtain the elastic modulus of different materials. For quantitative data analysis, the spring constant of the cantilever was calculated using the thermal tune method achieving consistent results. Although various assumptions were made, the computed Young's Modulus of the samples converges with the ones found in literature. This paper is part of a series of experimental practices that serves as an introduction to the principles of nanotechnology and scientific research for third-year physics undergraduate students. During the development of this work, students are expected to reflect their knowledge and writing skills in the fields of literature review, Hertz's contact mechanics, and computational statistics, and data analysis.