Multifunctional Boron-Doped Diamond Colloidal AFM Probes

Abstract

Scanning probe microscopy techniques providing information on conductivity, chemical fluxes, and interfacial reactivity synchronized with topographical information have gained importance within the last decades. Herein, a novel colloidal atomic force microscopy (AFM) probe is presented using a spherical boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode attached and electrically connected to a modified silicon nitride cantilever. These conductive spherical BDD-AFM probes allow for electrochemical force spectroscopy. The physical robustness of these bifunctional probes, and the excellent electrochemical properties of BDD renders this concept a unique multifunctional tool for a wide variety of scanning probe studies including conductive AFM, hybrid atomic force-scanning electrochemical microscopy, and tip-integrated chem/bio sensing.

Keywords: AFM-SECM; boron-doped diamond; colloidal AFM probe; conductive AFM; electrochemical SPM probe; force spectroscopy.