Micro-cantilever Hydrodynamics - the theory of measuring very soft samples without touching them

This project is to support a visit by University of Bristol researchers to the University of Auckland. The aim is to develop techniques to calibrate multi-frequency and non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements that would allow the stiffness of soft delicate materials to be measured repeatedly in a non-destructive way, thousands of times faster than existing methods. This has the potential to open up a huge range of research in material science, for which Bristol would become a world leader, as the technology is compatible with Bristol’s contact mode high-speed AFM. Bristol’s work to date on micro-cantilevers has been on the modelling of the beam mechanics, especially at high frequencies, and the tip-surface interactions. The University of Auckland's expertise is on how micro-cantilevers interact with fluids. Together we can build far more accurate models of commonly used AFM micro-cantilevers so as to allow better calibration and new measurement techniques.