Q-controlled dynamic force spectroscopy

An atomic force microscope mode is introduced to determine conservative and dissipative tip–sample interactions with high resolution in air. The proposed Q-controlled dynamic force spectroscopy is based on the measurement of frequency shift vs. amplitude and decay coefficient vs. amplitude curves by ringdown experiments. The numerical simulation demonstrates the accuracy of the method for the measurement of non-contact and contact forces in air. The basic principle, however, can be also applied in liquids or vacuum.