Measuring the loss tangent of polymer materials with atomic force microscopy based methods

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) quantitatively maps viscoelastic parameters of polymers on the nanoscale by several methods. The loss tangent, the ratio between dissipated and stored energy, was measured on a blend of thermoplastic polymer materials by a dynamic contact method, contact resonance, and by a recently developed loss tangent measurement by amplitude modulation AFM. Contact resonance measurements were performed both with dual AC resonance tracking and band excitation (BE), allowing for a reference-free measurement of the loss tangent. Amplitude modulation AFM was performed where a recent interpretation of the phase signal under certain operating conditions allows for the loss tangent to be calculated. The loss tangent measurements were compared with values expected from time–temperature superposed frequency-dependent dynamical mechanical curves of materials and reveal that the loss tangents determined from the BE contact resonance method provide the most accurate values.