Lockdown has transformed the way we work. Whilst many businesses and universities are welcoming their people back in, for most this is under new working conditions and will still include some working from home.
Running experiments is challenging when you’re working from home. Whilst we saw some dedicated academics taking their AFM’s home with them during lockdown, there is another option worth exploring: remote AFM.
We caught up with AFM aficionado Dr Robert Harniman, University of Bristol, to find out more about working with AFM remotely…
What is remote AFM?
Remote AFM does exactly what it says on the tin – once the sample is set up and in place experiments can be run from an alternative location to the AFM instrument itself.
“Essentially anything that doesn’t require physical interaction with the microscope can be done remotely with the right setup,” says Rob.
Changing between samples, changing probes and changing the scanning environment all need to be done whilst in the lab. However experiment and scanning parameters can be controlled and monitored remotely as well as scan location and, to an extent, scanning mode can also be altered offsite.
How do you do it?
Accessing the AFM remotely is, according to Rob, a fairly simple hack. All that is needed is a network connection to run the microscope from your own computer. Thanks to the expertise of the IT services at Bristol University and a hierarchy of quarantined networks, accessing his microscope remotely is a relatively simple setup for Rob.
Like many universities, though lockdown is easing Bristol has established a certain number of precautionary measures to keep employees and students safe. Only a certain number of people are allowed in the buildings at any given time for example. Rob finds using the time on site to set an experiment up, then going home to run it makes a lot of sense.
A key advantage to AFM over other microscopy techniques, is the detailed results and deep data produced. “Once the scan has run then it’s all about data interpretation and analysis. There’s lots of work to do post-experiments through your analysis software, and that can be done anywhere” says Rob.
Why should you consider working with remote AFM if you’re not already?
Accessing AFMs remotely enables work to take place on multiple instruments in different locations, at the same time. This is useful for example when undertaking interdisciplinary work. Once the samples have been created and placed on the AFM experiments can be run and variables fine-tuned, from wherever the operator is situated.
Rob has been using remote AFM long before lockdown because the work he does is interdisciplinary by nature.
“I meet with people from chemistry or biology and take their guidance on the sample preparation – that’s really where their expertise comes in, they know the samples we are looking at.”
Rob then brings his specialist knowledge of AFM to bear across a myriad of research questions irrespective of department.
“Part of my role is to ensure the sample is in a state where what we want to see is seeable. It is a front heavy process, but 80% of getting a decent result from an AFM is sample preparation.
By the time you’re setting up the AFM you should have it all geared up to be getting the results and the sample ready to expose it’s secrets to you.”
Another advantage to remote AFM working is the higher resolution that can be achieved by removing the presence of an operator from the lab. Rob explains:
“This is really only the case for samples where you need super high resolution. It doesn’t affect most everyday scanning projects but in some cases not having the noise of the person in there with the machine can make a difference to the quality of the data produced.”
Can you give us some examples of work you’ve done using remote AFM?
High-resolution AFM topography scans of P-doped MCD film. See ‘Direct observation of electron emission from grain boundaries in CVD diamond by PeakForce-controlled tunnelling atomic force microscopy’, 2015 for full description.
One example of the kind of work that is possible to do using Remote AFM are the detailed studies of electron emission which Rob conducted with Professor Paul May, head of the University of Bristol’s Diamond Lab. Rob says:
“Together we proved that electrons are emitted from the grain boundaries of diamond films. In this case both the electrical and physical stability of the AFM were critical”
More information on this work is available via the paper ‘Direct observation of electron emission from grain boundaries in CVD diamond by PeakForce-controlled tunnelling atomic force microscopy’, 2015.
Another piece of work Rob cites as a good example of using remote AFM is his characterisation of receptors produced by Professor Anthony Davis and his group for the threading of polysaccharides. He says:
“High resolution and stability were critical when I investigated threading receptors for polysaccharides as the margins in proving that the polymer chains had threaded “through” the synthetic receptors were tiny.”
Again, further information on the work conducted by Rob and the team is available via the paper ‘A threading receptor for polysaccharides’, 2016.
Are there any differences in set up needs for remote AFM?
The reliability of the probe is an important factor when working with remote AFM.
“The tip and cantilever are very important if you’re working remotely. The main physical interaction with AFM is of course changing either the sample or a probe. Reliability is key as you don’t want to have to keep popping back in to change the tip multiple times over the course of your experiment.”
Obviously, some experiments are more hands on. Running in a liquid environment or working on exploratory conductive experiments is more challenging to do remotely – but not impossible. Rob says:
“If you have to change whole modes – dry vs aqueous for example - you have to be there to physically make those changes. But anything else, mechanical properties etc., you can check and set up remotely. Fundamentally anything is possible, it just boils down to the operator and their experience with the technique.”
As our conversation with Rob has demonstrated, remote AFM can be for life not just for lockdown! However, in these still challenging circumstances as we continue to adjust to a more socially distanced approached to living and working, it is another potentially useful tool to consider when working with AFM.
Have you had any experience working with your AFM remotely? Is it something you’d want to do more of? What else have you been doing to adjust to the new post-lockdown, pre-vaccine COVID-19 world we find ourselves in? We’d love to hear more about your experience and the work you’ve done. Share your stories and insight with us at community@nunano.com