The *Atomic Force Microscope* (AFM) is a powerful imaging tool. It helps researchers to visualize materials at the [[Atom|atomic]] [[Length Scales||scale]]. Unlike conventional optical microscopes, AFM does not rely on [[Light|light]] [[Wave|waves]] to create images. Instead, it uses a mechanical probe to scan surfaces with exceptional precision. It detects minute forces between the probe and a sample surface and translates these forces into highly detailed three-dimensional representations of the sample. ![[atomic_force_microscope.excalidraw.light.svg]] AFM is widely used across various scientific disciplines, including materials science, where it is used for characterizing surface roughness, mechanical properties, and defects, in biology, for imaging biomolecules, cells, and proteins at nanometer resolution, and in nanotechnology, for manipulating nanoparticles and fabricating nanoscale structures. >[!read]- Further Reading >- [[Scanning Tunneling Microscope]] >- [[Transmission Electron Microscopy]] >[!ref]- References