Progress:
Quarterly Report: April 1-June 30, 2009
Development of an Acoustic Force Atomic Microscopy AFAM method to probe the properties of islands on the sea fibers continued. Initial challenges in microtoming of the samples using water based solvents were addressed. Due to geometrical considerations small amounts of humidity condensated at the interface between the islands and the sea components. These small amounts of water enabled polymer dissolution which disrupted the engagement of the AFM tip and the sample. A new microtoming procedure using low viscosity oils was implemented as well as a new set of polymeric fibers less sensitive to variations in humidity was obtained from 3F, Inc. It is expected that these changes will overcome humidity issues in AFAM microscopy. Furthermore, an alternative approach using microfluidic devices was initiated.
