Nonlinear Phase Imaging of Gold Nanoparticles Embedded in Organic Thin Films

The phase detection in the dynamic mode of the atomic force microscopes is a known technique for mapping nanoscale surface heterogeneities. We present here an additional functionality of this technique, which allows high-resolution imaging of embedded inorganic nanoparticles with diameter and interparticle distances of a few nanometers. The method is based on a highly nonlinear tip–sample interaction occurring markedly above the nanoparticles,...