A simple modification of a commercial atomic force microscopy liquid cell for in situ imaging in organic, reactive, or air sensitive environments

We describe modifications to a commercial atomic force microscopy (AFM) flu id cell to enable imaging in organic and reactive environments and show ini tial images obtained with this cell. The fluid cell is constructed of glass and Teflon only, both of which are inert in many organic and corrosive flu ids. A flange with a viton "O" ring was fitted around the base of the AFM a nd an airtight Plexiglas cap was placed on top to cover the AFM. The cap wa s purged with Ar during scanning and fluid transfer. A commercial oxygen se nsor was used to measure the oxygen partial pressure. A flow system was use d to introduce the solutions into the cell, minimizing atmospheric contamin ation. The cell was used to image a Mg surface under aqueous and tetrahydro furan liquids for hours without leaking. (C) 1999 American Institute of Phy sics. [S0034-6748(99)02701-X].