AFM AND STM CHARACTERIZATION OF TIO2 - ULTRAFILTRATION MEMBRANES

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) were used to investigate the surface of TiO2 ultrafiltration membrane s with pore sizes of similar to 10 nm. It is widely accepted that conv entional AFM with Si3N4 or Si tips is not able to resolve pores in sup ported ceramic membranes with a diameter of <40 nm. In this study it s hould be tested whether it is possible to lower this border for furthe r characterization of nanofiltration membranes. Here we present differ ent ways of imaging and discuss alternative sample preparation techniq ues. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.