We address in this paper the issue of quantitative charge imaging of individually charged semiconductor nanoparticles on conductive substrates by electric force microscopy ͑EFM͒. An analytical model is proposed for arbitrary tip and nanoparticle geometries to determine the amount of stored charges from the ratio R between the nanoparticle charge and capacitive force gradients. The quantitative character of the model is validated by extensive numerical calculations of EFM signals using various nanoparticle shapes, sizes, and aspect ratios, and different EFM tip geometries.

We present noncontact atomic force microscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy studies of nanophase segregated photovoltaic blends based on an oligothiophene-fluorenone oligomer and [6,6]-phenyl C70 butyric acid methyl ester. We carried out a complete analysis of the influence of the tip-surface interaction regime on the topographic, in-dark contact potential and surface photovoltage contrasts. It is demonstrated that an optimal lateral resolution is achieved for all channels below the onset of a contrast in the damping images. With the support of electrostatic simulations, it is shown that in-dark contact potential difference contrasts above subsurface acceptor clusters are consistent with an uneven distribution of permanent charges at the donor-acceptor interfaces. A remarkable dependence of the surface photovoltage magnitude with respect to the tip-surface distance is evidenced and attributed to a local enhancement of the electromagnetic field at the tip apex.

We provide in this article a comprehensive study of the role of ac cross-talk effects in Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM), and their consequences onto KPFM imaging. The dependence of KPFM signals upon internal parameters such as the cantilever excitation frequency and the projection angle of the KPFM feedback loop is reviewed, and compared with an analytical model. We show that ac cross-talks affect the measured KPFM signals as a function of the tip-substrate distance, and thus hamper the measurement of three-dimensional KPFM signals. The influence of ac cross-talks is also demonstrated onto KPFM images, in the form of topography footprints onto KPFM images, especially in the constant distance (lift) imaging mode. Our analysis is applied to unambiguously probe charging effects in tobacco mosaic viruses (TMVs) in ambient air. TMVs are demonstrated to be electrically neutral when deposited on silicon dioxide surfaces, but inhomogeneously negatively charged when deposited on a gold surface. V

Preliminary results of Raman scattering measurements of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) are presented. The nanotubes have been carefully dissolved, separated and then characterized by AFM. The micro-Raman spectra are taken with 514,5nm wavelength excitations in the range 4K - 400K. Basically the spectra are quite similar to the well known single wall carbon nanotube spectra, but the low frequency band is absent. The major Raman bands, observed in single wall nanotubes are found in the spectra. In particular the disorder effects are visible due to the pronounced D band at ~1350 cm-1. Metallic and semiconducting type of conductivity is distinguished through analysis of the G (LO) mode at ~1600 cm-1. A new feature in these spectra exists at ~843 cm-1. Low energy radial breathing mode absence has been explained.