The surfaces of virgin and chemically etched poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) have been studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) in both contact and tapping modes. Contact mode AFM images of this relatively soft polymeric material are dominated by tip-induced imaging artifacts. When subsequent, AFM imaging was performed in tapping mode these artifacts were eliminated, and comparable tapping mode AFM and SEM images were obtained for even the highly porous, unstable surface that results from sodium naphthalenide etching. Interfacial force microscopy force versus displacement, and creep experiments were performed to determine the nanomechanical nature of virgin PTFE. These experiments show that virgin PTFE is a viscoelastic material which is capable of supporting large forces on the millisecond time scale but creeps dramatically at longer times. Clearly, with scanning probe techniques which utilize constant probe force feedback, one should expect image distortions, as we observe, with soft materials such as virgin or etched PTFE. Conversely, with tapping mode AFM, rational images require contact times (μs) that are much shorter than creep times (ms). Thus, viscoelastic material characteristics determine the need for tapping mode AFM over contact mode AFM. By comparing tapping mode AFM images of virgin and etched PTFE surfaces, we can understand the three-dimensional character of the etched surface necessary for mechanical interlocking and resultant strong metal adhesion.

Howard, A. J., Rye, R. R., & Houston, J. E. (1996). Nanomechanical basis for imaging soft materials with tapping mode atomic force microscopy. Journal of Applied Physics, 79(4), 1885–1890.