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Sample Prep - nanotubes

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Answered (Verified) This post has 1 verified answer | 2 Replies | 3 Followers

Top 200 Contributor
5 Posts
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Alan Tang posted on Wed, May 26 2010 7:37 AM

Hi,

What is the best / easiest way to mount nanotubes to a sample puck for imaging with a MultiMode?

Also, is there anyway to add a scale bar right on the image through the Nanoscope Analysis software?

Thanks.

  • | Post Points: 14

Answered (Verified) Verified Answer

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Points 6,221
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Answered (Verified) Bede Pittenger replied on Wed, May 26 2010 4:57 PM
Verified by Stephen Minne

Here's my CNT Cheatsheet:

Sample prep: Carbon Nanotubes (SWNT) for NanoMan

  1. Obtain purified SWCNT from CNI (281) 492-5701
  2. ~1 "speck" CNT and ~1mL Chloroform
  3. Cleave HOPG (Si can be used, but CNTs eventually stick permanently.
  4. Sonicate at room temp for ~1 min.  =>shouldn't see any clumps
  5. Put a drop of solution on HOPG as quickly as possible after sonication to avoid clumping
  6. Let dry in air
  7. Check sample with NanoMan

 

Currently the best way to add a scale bar right on the image with NanoScope Analysis is as follows:

  1. Open, filter and adjust color scale and data range
  2. Choose the 2D image view (the leftmost analysis button on the toolbar), span panes and make the window as large as possible (important because the resolution of the output is set by the displayed resolution).
  3. Use mouse to draw a line of the desired length on the image.  The length in metric units will be displayed while drawing the line or when hovering over the line.
  4. Right click on the image and select  "Export>Screen Display".  This will bring up a dialog to save the image (default format is bmp, but you can select jpg if you absolutely need a smaller file -- there is often artifact due to the jpg compression).
  5. Here's an example with a 1nm scale bar: http://www.veeco.com/nanoscaleworld/members/Bede/files/graphite-atoms.bmp.aspx
  6. The line isn't really as fat as I prefer, so I would load the bmp into mspaint or something to increase its width.

We hope to add more functionality like this in the future.  Please check out our next release of NanoScope Analysis.

--Bede

  • | Post Points: 12

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Top 25 Contributor
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Thomas Mueller replied on Wed, May 26 2010 2:28 PM

If you are interested in imaging the nanotubes on graphite, you can take a small amount, put it into a strong, volatile organic solvent like chloroform, and sonicate at high power for several minutes to break up the clumps and create a suspension. Very little nanotube material is needed. If you can tell that the suspension is slightly darkened compared to just plain solvent then you probably used too much already. After sonication just put a drop onto the graphite substrate and let solvent evaporate. This can yield a reasonably even, low coverage of randomly oriented tubes that are easy to identify by AFM as the graphite is atomically flat and that can be manipulated by AFM.

  • | Post Points: 10
Top 10 Contributor
280 Posts
Points 6,221
Bruker Employee
Reply
Answered (Verified) Bede Pittenger replied on Wed, May 26 2010 4:57 PM
Verified by Stephen Minne

Here's my CNT Cheatsheet:

Sample prep: Carbon Nanotubes (SWNT) for NanoMan

  1. Obtain purified SWCNT from CNI (281) 492-5701
  2. ~1 "speck" CNT and ~1mL Chloroform
  3. Cleave HOPG (Si can be used, but CNTs eventually stick permanently.
  4. Sonicate at room temp for ~1 min.  =>shouldn't see any clumps
  5. Put a drop of solution on HOPG as quickly as possible after sonication to avoid clumping
  6. Let dry in air
  7. Check sample with NanoMan

 

Currently the best way to add a scale bar right on the image with NanoScope Analysis is as follows:

  1. Open, filter and adjust color scale and data range
  2. Choose the 2D image view (the leftmost analysis button on the toolbar), span panes and make the window as large as possible (important because the resolution of the output is set by the displayed resolution).
  3. Use mouse to draw a line of the desired length on the image.  The length in metric units will be displayed while drawing the line or when hovering over the line.
  4. Right click on the image and select  "Export>Screen Display".  This will bring up a dialog to save the image (default format is bmp, but you can select jpg if you absolutely need a smaller file -- there is often artifact due to the jpg compression).
  5. Here's an example with a 1nm scale bar: http://www.veeco.com/nanoscaleworld/members/Bede/files/graphite-atoms.bmp.aspx
  6. The line isn't really as fat as I prefer, so I would load the bmp into mspaint or something to increase its width.

We hope to add more functionality like this in the future.  Please check out our next release of NanoScope Analysis.

--Bede

  • | Post Points: 12
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