Know-How Swiss Medtech Expo 2023

Extreme surface characterization by AFM

FILAB (100/8+ people) invests yearly near 2M€ in high-end techniques and recently acquired an atomic force microscope (AFM) for extreme surface characterization.

FILAB (100/8+ people) invests yearly near 2M€ in high-end techniques and recently acquired an atomic force microscope (AFM) for extreme surface characterization. AFM is a high-resolution local probe microscope that can be used to visualise the topography of a medical device surface, as well as its tribology and mechanical, electrical or chemical behaviour.

This method enables the surface of the sample to be analysed point by point by scanning a probe consisting of a nanometric tip. This microscope makes it possible to study objects on a very small scale.

AFM can be used to characterise all types of materials, measuring roughness parameters, elasticity, adhesion, friction and surface energy properties, etc.

It is very useful to understand surface problems, and could be coupled with other high-end analytical techniques that the laboratory proposes, such as XPS, TOF-SIMS, SEM-EDS, TEM…