Imaging atoms in real-space with elemental selectivity

TL;DR

This paper discusses advances in atomic force microscopy using copper-oxide tips, enabling high-resolution, element-specific imaging of metal-oxide surfaces for improved atomic-scale characterization.

Contribution

It introduces the use of atomically defined copper-oxide tips for enhanced elemental selectivity and resolution in AFM imaging of metal-oxide surfaces.

Findings

Copper-oxide tips provide high rigidity and elemental selectivity.

The approach advances atomic-scale characterization of metal-oxide surfaces.

This method moves towards standardized scanning probe microscopy.

Abstract

Tip functionalization in AFM allows imaging organic nano-structures with sub-molecular resolution. Here, recent progress by using atomically defined copper-oxide tips is discussed. With their outstanding rigidity and elemental selectivity on metal-oxide surfaces, these probes constitute a powerful approach for the atomic-scale characterization of metal-oxide surfaces and a major step towards standardized scanning probe microscopy.