Adhesion artefacts in atomic force microscopy imaging

Artefacts that affect contrast and arise from adhesion forces in atomic for ce microscopy images of aramid fibres (both fresh and plasma-treated) are i nvestigated. It is demonstrated that these stem not only from variations in the chemical composition of the surface but also from certain topographica l features (which may appear hidden or enhanced in the images), resulting i n changes in the lateral forces that are detected by the cantilever and are comparable to the vertical forces. It is also shown that both types of con tribution to the forces can be uncoupled to yield images free from these ar tefacts, thus allowing more accurate quantitative measurements. These artef actual effects are also generally applicable to many other materials.