Studying the Adhesion Force and Glass Transition of Thin Polystyrene Films by Atomic Force Microscopy

Schematic illustration of adhesion force measurement for normal thin polymer films supported on silicon substrate. The AFM tip a firstly approaches the sample surface at a discrete distance above the sample, b continues to approach until the tip touches the sample surface, c begins to deform the sample surface under a load force and shows a small indentation and d–e withdraws from the sample surfac