NanoMechanical Mode

Soft MEKA

Quantitative stiffness and adhesion mapping without shear

Soft MEKA is the mechanical mode of the Soft Interaction Control family. It records a complete force curve at every measured point, so topography, adhesion and stiffness come out of the same scan — and because the tip lifts clear of the surface between points, soft, sticky and loosely bound samples are not dragged or damaged.

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Adhesion Stiffness analysis with AFM

How it works

One touch per point, one force curve per point

  • At every pixel the tip approaches the surface, touches it with a set force and retracts.
  • The lift height is larger than the adhesion force, so the tip fully disengages between points — no lateral force, no shear, nothing dragged across the surface.
  • The force curve of each point gives the contact stiffness and the pull-off (adhesion) force.
  • The stiffness channel is converted into Young’s modulus with the software module.
  • Because the force is controlled directly, the same settings hold from hard to very soft areas.

This is the difference with force modulation, where the tip stays in contact and is oscillated: on soft or weakly attached material that mixes topography into the mechanical signal and can damage the surface.

Soft MEKA on PDMS: topography, adhesion and Young’s modulus maps, 90 µm scan
PDMS, 90 µm — topography, adhesion and Young’s modulus (1.2 to 10 MPa) from one Soft MEKA scan. The same Soft IC platform also carries Soft ResiScope™, Soft SThM and Soft PFM.

What you measure

Three correlated channels in a single pass

Topography

Height image recorded with direct force control, free of the friction and shear artefacts of contact mode.

Adhesion

Pull-off force at every point, in force units — surface chemistry, contamination, release layers and binder distribution.

Stiffness → Young’s modulus

Contact stiffness at every point, converted to Young’s modulus for quantitative elasticity maps.

Soft MEKA AFM scan of PDES on silicon: topography, adhesion and stiffness, 10 µm
PDES on silicon, 10 × 10 µm — topography, adhesion and stiffness recorded together in Soft MEKA mode.

Every point keeps its force curve, so the maps can be re-analysed afterwards instead of being reduced to a single contrast image.

Which mechanical mode

Soft MEKA, force modulation or nano-indentation?

Force modulation

Fast relative contrast between stiff and soft areas on robust samples. The tip stays in contact, so it is not suited to fragile or sticky surfaces.

Soft MEKA

Quantitative stiffness and adhesion maps with no shear, at imaging resolution. The mode for polymers, gels, biological films and loose particles.

Nano-indentation & force spectroscopy

Single-point measurements when you need deep indentation curves or a full force–distance study rather than a map.

Where it is used

Samples that standard contact mode would damage

  • Polymers and blends — phase separation, crystallinity and filler distribution, with stiffness instead of phase contrast.
  • Adhesives, release layers and coatings — adhesion mapped in force units across the surface.
  • Hydrogels and biological films — elasticity of soft, hydrated material.
  • Composites — fibre–matrix interfaces and interphase width.
  • Battery electrodes — binder against active material, together with Soft ResiScope™ on the same area.
  • Loose particles and powders — measured without pushing them around.

Soft MEKA runs on the Nano-Observer II and can be added to an existing AFM with the Galaxy Dual Controller.

Questions about Soft MEKA?