Surface Analysis of Plastics via Atomic Force Microscopy

Impact Solutions provides atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis to characterise plastic materials at the nanoscale.

AFM enables detailed surface imaging and measurement of mechanical properties, helping clients understand material behaviour, optimise performance, and investigate failure mechanisms.

What is atomic force microscopy?

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is the most powerful microscopic technique, which offers three-dimensional images of the scanned material with exceptional detail and resolution.  Unlike other microscopy techniques, AFM does not use light or electrons to visualise the surface; it works by scanning a sharp probe across a material’s surface and measuring the forces between the probe and the sample to create a detailed 3D image. This allows AFM to reveal surface features far smaller than those visible with traditional optical microscopy.