Comprehensive surface analysis of hydrophobically functionalized SFM tips

Tip-sample interactions have been of interest since the early development o f the scanning force microscope. Investigations of interfacial interactions at the molecular level are of importance for fundamental studies of bi-mol ecular interactions and for possible applications in biomedical research an d industrial settings. By engineering the surface chemical properties of th e SFM probes, specific force interactions may be measured. However, as thes e modification schemes become more widely applied, detailed chemical analys is of the modified cantilever surfaces becomes crucial. In this paper, we d escribe two approaches to coat SFM cantilevers with hydrophobic coatings: a silanization protocol and ratio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor d eposition. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.