Piconewton regime dynamic force microscopy in liquid

In this work, a cantilever in a fluid is driven by a mixed signal composed of a standard driving signal and a feedback signal consisting of the amplified and phase shifted oscillation signal. This mimics the oscillation of a cantilever with a quality factor up to three orders of magnitude higher than its natural Q (similar to 1). This technique allows the identification of the resonance frequency of the cantilever by mechanical excitation of the fluid. The improved sensitivity has been checked by imaging a very soft sample of 1% agarose gel in the dynamic mode. A force smaller than 50 pN could be applied to the sample, improving the spatial resolution and the phase contrast significantly. This technique provides a major improvement in atomic force microscopy/spectroscopy in liquids. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)03830-4].