At the 2018 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit, Bruker announced the release of the AFM-nDMA™ mode for Dimension® atomic force microscopes (AFMs). Going beyond the quantitative elastic modulus mapping enabled by Bruker’s exclusive PeakForce QNM® mode, AFM-nDMA provides first and only nanoscale viscoelastic measurements that match bulk dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) over the entire frequency range typical in bulk rheological measurements. Enabled by proprietary algorithms, AFM-nDMA works directly at rheological frequencies, quantifies preload and adhesion, and comes with absolute calibration. As a result, AFM-nDMA generates entire master curves of storage modulus, loss modulus, and loss tangent, including analysis for activation energy, thus vastly expanding the AFM market by providing polymer rheology at the nanoscale.
“Bruker’s AFM-nDMA is the first commercial solution for quantifying viscoelasticity at the spatial scales of AFM,” said Dr. Ken Nakajima, Professor of Polymer Physics at Tokyo Institute of Technology. “Having pioneered nanoscale rheological measurements, I am very excited to see this important capability become widely available.”
“We can now quantify local viscoelasticity at relevant frequencies and length scales that relate nanoscale properties to bulk performance,” added Greg Meyers, Ph.D., Dow Chemical Core R&D Fellow. “This addresses a significant unmet need for industrial polymer characterization.”
“AFM-nDMA reflects our long-standing commitment to provide quantitative and easy-to-use nanomechanical characterization,” explained David V. Rossi, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Bruker’s AFM business. “From the invention of TappingModeTM to PeakForce Tapping® and now AFM-nDMA, we have consistently led this charge, and we are very eager to see the use of atomic force microscopy growing with quantitative viscoelastic characterization.”
About AFM-nDMA
Bruker’s AFM-nDMA includes proprietary algorithms, modular hardware, and precalibrated probes integrated into an efficient workflow to deliver quantitative nanoscale measurements of storage modulus, loss modulus, and loss tangent at rheological frequencies. With frequencies from 0.1 Hz to 20 kHz, temperatures up to 250°C, and sample moduli in the sub-MPa to GPa range, AFM-nDMA provides broad coverage of polymer applications. AFM-nDMA integrates seamlessly with Bruker’s unique MIROView™ user interface and PeakForce QNM region-of-interest targeting, as well as with new multiscript analysis features for full master curve analyses.