Imaging of soft material with carbon nanotube tip using near-field scanning microwave microscopy

Zhe Wu; Wei-Qiang Sun; Tao Feng; Shawn Wenjie Tang; Gang Li; Kai-Li Jiang; Sheng-Yong Xu; Chong Kim Ong

doi:10.1016/j.ultramic.2014.09.008

Imaging of soft material with carbon nanotube tip using near-field scanning microwave microscopy

Ultramicroscopy. 2015 Jan:148:75-80. doi: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2014.09.008. Epub 2014 Oct 6.

Authors

Zhe Wu¹, Wei-Qiang Sun², Tao Feng³, Shawn Wenjie Tang⁴, Gang Li³, Kai-Li Jiang⁵, Sheng-Yong Xu⁶, Chong Kim Ong⁷

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Superconducting and Magnetic Materials, Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117542, Singapore; National Laboratory for Vacuum Electronics, School of Physical Electronics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, PR China.
² Singapore Synchrotron Light Source, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117603, Singapore.
³ Key Laboratory for Physics and Chemistry of Nanodevices, Department of Electronics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China.
⁴ Centre for Superconducting and Magnetic Materials, Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117542, Singapore.
⁵ Department of Physics & Tsinghua-Foxconn Nanotechnology Research Centre, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China.
⁶ Key Laboratory for Physics and Chemistry of Nanodevices, Department of Electronics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China. Electronic address: xusy@pku.edu.cn.
⁷ Centre for Superconducting and Magnetic Materials, Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117542, Singapore. Electronic address: phyongck@nus.edu.sg.

PMID: 25461583
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2014.09.008

Abstract

In this manuscript, a near-field scanning microwave microscope (NSMM) of our own design is introduced while using a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) bundle as the tip (referred to as 'CNT tip'). Clear images of gold-patterned numbers, photoresist stripes and corneal endothelial cells (cell line B4G12) were obtained by mapping the resonant frequency fr and S11 amplitude of a given area while the NSMM is operating in tapping mode. The CNT tip helps to improve image quality and reveals more information about the sample as compared to a traditional metallic tip. The CNT tip is flexible and does not scratch the surface of the sample during the scan, which is useful for imaging soft material in biological science. In the imaging of the B4G12 endothelial cells, the nuclei and cytoplasm can be clearly distinguished from the rest of the cell and its surrounding medium.

Keywords: Carbon nanotube; Endothelial cell; Near-field scanning microwave microscopy; Soft material.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Cells, Cultured
Endothelial Cells / ultrastructure
Endothelium, Corneal / ultrastructure
Humans
Microscopy, Scanning Probe / instrumentation*
Microwaves*
Nanotubes, Carbon / chemistry*

Substances

Nanotubes, Carbon