From August 2024 you can now buy NuNano HAR probes on the Oxford Instruments eStore. Get high quality images every time with our pack of 10 AC mode silicon AFM probes with a high aspect ratio tip. Ideal for deep trench imaging with non-contact/tapping modes in air, on hard samples and stable softer samples. Available uncoated or with an aluminium or gold reflective backside coating.
Dr. David Post Allison: 30 October 1936 - 1st January 2024
It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of one of scanning probe microscopy’s quiet heroes, Dr David Post Allison, at the beginning of January this year.
Dr Allison was a committed microscopist, working at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the early days of his career and then at the University of Tennessee. In a lifetime dedicated to research he was directly responsible for more than 100 publications – a number of which are available to view via Research Gate.
He is particularly fondly remembered within NuNano as he was a brilliant friend and colleague of our co-founders Prof. Mervyn Miles and Prof. Heinrich Hoeber. Together the three of them decided to set up their own conference series at the end of the 1990s. This series became the International Scanning Probe Microscopy (ISPM) series, now one of the central pillars of the annual microscopy conference season.
Prof. Mervyn Miles remembers: “The ISPM all started in 1999 – 25 years ago now – with the first event organised by myself, Dave and Heinrich.
I first met Dave when he showed me around the bioSTM activities at ORNL in 1993 - so I have known him for 30 years. From then on, we often met at conferences and the wonderful Fourmentin-Guillbert annual workshops in an abbey outside Paris.
We also used to meet at the strange series of “Scanning Microscopy” conferences run by Om Johari out of Chicago. It was when these conferences ended, owing to Om’s ill health, Dave, Heinrich and I decided to start our own conference series, which became ISPM.
Dave was a great scientist; he was wise but always fun, sometimes with outrageous humour! He was a real friend!”
We share our condolences with Dave’s family and friends and celebrate the work he continued to engage in throughout his life.
Below is a video that Prof. Mervyn Miles compiled in honour of David Allison
Press release: NuNano adds SPARK to the Oxford Instruments eStore AFM probe range
Bristol, UK – 01 February, 2024 – NuNano, the high-quality atomic force microscopy (AFM) probe manufacturer, is delighted to announce that their conductive AFM probe range, SPARK, are now available on the Oxford Instruments eStore.
The addition of SPARKs to the eStore reflects the expanding global distribution partnership with Oxford Instruments Asylum Research (Santa Babara, US). The integration of SPARKs broadens the product offering, ensuring customers achieve reliable imaging every time when using NuNano’s range of AFM probes alongside Oxford Instruments Asylum Research AFM instruments.
“Nano-electrical measurements are becoming increasingly important for materials characterisation, particularly for those materials being incorporated into a new generation of electronic devices” said James Vicary, NuNano Co-founder & Managing Director.
The SPARK range of conductive AFM probes are designed for electrical AFM measurements, such as Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy, Piezo-response Force Microscopy and Conductive AFM. Attention to quality and reliability, guarantees tip radius, while the symmetric tip profile ensures measurement precision across a wide range of nano-electrical applications.
Manufactured with the tightest dimensional tolerances in the market, SPARK conductive AFM probes offer minimal variation in spring constant and resonant frequency, setting the standard in probe reliability and performance.
The SPARK series joins NuNano’s silicon AFM probe collection (SCOUT) in the Oxford Instruments eStore and direct from their regional offices.
For more information, please contact NuNano at +44 117 299 3093, email info@nunano.com, or visit nunano.com.
About NuNano
NuNano is a UK-based company specialising in the design and manufacture of high-performance probes for atomic force microscopy and cantilever-based sensor devices. It was founded in 2011 by Dr James Vicary and Professors Heinrich Hoerber and Mervyn Miles to bring new manufacturing methods and exemplary levels of customer service to an industry broadly unchanged in 20 years. Building on over 30 years of combined experience in atomic force microscopy, our proprietary microfabrication processes enable us to manufacture AFM probes with the tightest dimensional tolerances in the market at present. We are passionate about providing AFM users with the best possible customer service, from the first time you visit our website to storing your probes after a successful day on the microscope.
About Oxford Instruments Asylum Research
Oxford Instruments Asylum Research is the technology leader in atomic force microscopy for both materials and bioscience research. Asylum Research AFMs are widely used by both academic and industrial researchers for characterizing samples from diverse fields spanning material science, polymers, thin films, energy research, and biophysics. In addition to routine imaging of sample topography and roughness, Asylum Research AFMs also offer unmatched resolution and quantitative measurement capability for nanoelectrical, nanomechanical and electromechanical characterization. Recent advances have made these measurements far simpler and more automated for increased consistency and productivity. Its Cypher™, MFP-3D™, and Jupiter™ AFM product lines span a wide range of performance and budgets.
Press release: NuNano partners with Oxford Instruments Asylum Research in Global AFM probe distribution deal
Bristol, UK – 02 October, 2023 – NuNano, a manufacturer of high quality atomic force microscopy (AFM) probes, today announced their global distribution partnership with Oxford Instruments Asylum Research (Santa Barbara, US). The partnership offers customers the opportunity to achieve unparalleled reliability when using NuNano’s range of AFM probes with Oxford Instruments Asylum Research AFM instruments.
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Asylum Research to offer our AFM probes globally.” said James Vicary, NuNano Co-founder & Managing Director. “There’s a great synergy between the visions of both our companies, for providing the highest quality products and services. Nowhere is this more evident than in our proprietary quality control processes. Since our inception, we have always inspected every probe because, we understand that reliability is key to the work of our customers. A reliable probe supply saves AFM users precious time and resources.”
NuNano’s silicon AFM probes (SCOUT) are available now on the Oxford Instruments eStore and direct from their regional offices. Further probe models will be added in the near future.
Mario Viani, President of Asylum Research, said “We are very excited to begin providing the NuNano probe line to our customers. Our AFM systems are world class and NuNano’s commitment to probe quality, reliability and performance, are directly aligned with our company values.”
For more information please call +44 117 299 3093, email info@nunano.com, or visit our website.
About NuNano
NuNano is a UK-based company specialising in the design and manufacture of high-performance probes for atomic force microscopy and cantilever-based sensor devices. It was founded in 2011 by Dr James Vicary and Professors Heinrich Hoerber and Mervyn Miles to bring new manufacturing methods and exemplary levels of customer service to an industry broadly unchanged in 20 years. Building on over 30 years of combined experience in atomic force microscopy, our proprietary microfabrication processes enable us to manufacture AFM probes with the tightest dimensional tolerances in the market at present. We are passionate about providing AFM users with the best possible customer service, from the first time you visit our website to storing your probes after a successful day on the microscope.
About Oxford Instruments Asylum Research
Oxford Instruments Asylum Research is the technology leader in atomic force microscopy for both materials and bioscience research. Asylum Research AFMs are widely used by both academic and industrial researchers for characterizing samples from diverse fields spanning material science, polymers, thin films, energy research, and biophysics. In addition to routine imaging of sample topography and roughness, Asylum Research AFMs also offer unmatched resolution and quantitative measurement capability for nanoelectrical, nanomechanical and electromechanical characterization. Recent advances have made these measurements far simpler and more automated for increased consistency and productivity. Its Cypher™, MFP-3D™, and Jupiter™ AFM product lines span a wide range of performance and budgets.
Want to know exactly what your AFM tip looks like?
Did you know we now offer SEM images of the tip of each of the probes you buy for £100 a tip?
We’ll also give you the probe data - the Tip Radius (nm) and the Cone Angle (°). Tip radius refers to the radius of curvature at the apex of the tip. Cone angle refers to the full cone angle of the tip profile over a distance of 1 μm from the tip apex.
University of Bath Student Projects
This year we have had the pleasure of supervising several University of Bath students during their final year projects. George Stockbridge, Peter Savill, Alex Tse and Sathvik Chatakondu combined mechanical data they collected themselves, with COMSOL modelling, to investigate the effects of various key parameters on cantilevers properties.
A computer model of a NuNano SCOUT 350 in the COMSOL Multiphysics finite-element modelling platform.
George shared his experiencing of working on the project with NuNano:
“The primary goal of our project was to investigate the relationship between the cantilever dimensions, different metallic coatings, and certain key mechanical properties. After performing some finite element modelling and overcoming quite a few data processing complications, we were extremely pleased to obtain some great looking simulations to compare with our collected data.
We loved working with NuNano, as it gave us the opportunity to get extremely valuable experience collaborating and solving problems with a real-world industrial client, which most of our peers (carrying out lecturer-set projects) missed out on.
Knowing that we were doing our project not just for its own sake, but that NuNano would (hopefully!) gain some genuine insight from it was highly motivating and made it feel less arbitrary and much more worthwhile.
We would have loved more time to investigate in more detail, but we had to leave something for next year’s final years to do!
I also loved visiting the lab in Bristol!”
We look forward to working with more students on future projects.
New product alert! Silicon nitride SENSE probes
NuNano is pleased to announce the launch of our new silicon nitride SENSE AFM probes available to purchase from Monday 31st January 2022.
SENSE probes are suitable for imaging soft samples using contact or AC modes in air or liquid. These probes feature a sharp silicon (n-type, antimony) tip integrated onto a triangular silicon nitride cantilever with gold reflective backside coating (5 nm Ti/40 nm Au).
The SENSE probe range include SENSE 20 with a nominal spring constant of 0.07 N/m and a resonant frequency of 20 kHz, and SENSE 70 with a nominal spring constant of 0.4 N/m and a resonant frequency of 70 kHz.
For more information regarding their specifications please click the below buttons to download either datasheet.
“Despite the disruption over the past 2 years, our engineering team have pulled out all the stops to bring this new range of probes to market. We’re really excited to offer AFM users working with soft materials or in liquid environments the benefits that come from our focus on high quality, reliable AFM probes”. - Dr James Vicary, Managing Director.
Each SENSE probe exhibits exemplary dimensional tolerances characteristic of all our AFM probes. Rigorous inspection of every probe using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) ensures each probe performs as you expect for reliable imaging every time.
For more information, to request a free sample or a meeting with one of our team to discuss your needs further please call +44 (0) 117 299 3093 or email info@nunano.com.
New silicon nitride SENSE AFM probes, SENSE 70 (left) and SENSE 20 (right).
A Warm Welcome to Jamie, Billy and Ellie!
This October we are joined by three new staff members at NuNano! We’re very excited to welcome Jamie as our new Applications Engineer (left), Billy our new AFM Probe Consultant (middle), and Ellie our Marketing & Science Communications Coordinator (right).
First, we would like to introduce Jamie who has 7 years of experience using AFM. He carried out his PhD at the University of Leeds in the Molecular & Nanoscale Physics Group where he used AFM to study cell membrane structure. More recently he worked as a postdoc in the Bio-AFM-Lab at Cornell Medical College in New York, studying membrane proteins with High Speed AFM before joining us at NuNano.
We also welcome Billy, who graduated in 2021 from the University of Sheffield with an MSc in Molecular Medicine supervised by Dr Alice Pyne, having previously completed his BSc in Biochemistry. His masters project used AFM to study DNA topology and binding proteins. Billy says ‘I am excited to start working for such a dynamic company and already feel very welcome here’.
Lastly, we welcome Ellie, who having completed a BSc in Biomedicine at the University of East Anglia, went on to study MSc Management (Marketing) at the University of Bristol. She will be working to build the AFM community, keep our social media up to date, and share new developments.
We look forward to working with all our new starters!
As always, our new AFM Probe Consultant is happy to help with your AFM probe queries. Get in touch by phone (+44 117 299 3093) or email info@nunano.com.
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Welcome Callum and Roger!
We are excited to announce that two new members joined the NuNano team this February - Callum Chisnall (left) our new Sales Coordinator and Roger Humm (right) our Non-executive Director.
Callum Chisnall graduated in 2020 from the University of Bristol after studying an MSci in Chemistry. His final year project was the in the functional and electroactive materials chemistry group and my thesis title was ‘The Synthesis, Deposition, and Scribing of Polyaniline for Electronic Application’
Callum says he is “excited to start working for NuNano after finishing his academia placement in Prague IOCB and industry placement in Pilkingtons NSG. Turning complex theoretical ideas from chemistry into tangible products in the science and tech industry is of particular interest to me”.
We are also welcoming Roger Humm who is is a chartered accountant and experienced director with extensive knowledge of high-growth technology companies both in the public and private markets. Roger chairs the investment committee of the University of Bristol Enterprise Funds and is a trustee director and investment subcommittee member of the Oxford Instruments plc pension scheme.
It’s great to have new faces here at NuNano for 2021!
As always, our new sales coordinator is happy to help with your AFM probe queries. Get in touch by phone or email info@nunano.com.
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Hello, World!
COVID-19 Update: February 2021
It’s coming up to a year since the first lockdown, a challenging year where companies and individuals all over the world have seen huge change. During the lockdowns and periods of restrictions since March NuNano has implemented all the necessary measures to ensure the safety of our employees and help to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Businesswise however lockdown 3 feels very different for NuNano. Our production centre in Edinburgh remains open allowing our process engineers in Edinburgh to continue their work. Here in Bristol, we're accessing the lab and office space (in a socially responsible way) however where possible members of the Bristol team are working from home. Orders continue to come in and be filled.
Having prepared for the current situations we do not foresee any disruption to orders of our standard probes and expect to continue to ship orders the next day.
Once again If you expect problems with deliveries due to office and university closures please do let us know, we are happy to help by holding or redirecting orders until normal service resumes.
We hope you are keeping safe at this challenging time. If you have any questions or would like more information about our response to COVID–19 please get in touch.
Email info@nunano.com or call us on +44 117 299 3093
Take a look at our blogs: ‘Is remote AFM a solution in the new COVID-19 world of socially distanced science?’ and ‘How does a Manufacturing SME best respond to a global pandemic?’
Good Luck Eddie!
Last week we said a fond farewell to Eddie Rollins, one of our Sales Coordinators. After a smooth move to Sheffield last weekend, on Monday he is started his PhD under the supervision of Dr Alice Pyne.
Following on from his chemistry degree, Eddie will be using AFM to look at how supercoiling and stress affects DNA interactions with Alice’s lab at the University of Sheffield.
Eddie told us, ‘I’m excited to start working with a world leading academic in a wonderful collaborative field’.
He will be greatly missed here at NuNano but we wish him the best of luck in Sheffield and are so proud that he’s staying within the AFM community.
If you want to read more about the work Alice Pyne is doing with AFM in DNA topology, make sure to check out our latest blog, AFM community: An Interview with Dr Alice Pyne
Welcome Jordan and Niall
This month we are welcoming two new members to the NuNano team. Jordan and Niall have joined us as our new Sales Coordinators.
Jordan Thompson graduated with a BSc in Physics from the University of Bristol in 2018. His final year project was in the characterisation of the effects of radiation damage to the crystal structure of new nuclear fuels.
He said, ‘It’s super exciting to be back working in science again after a few years out, and one of the things I’m looking forward to most is getting to be even a small part of really interesting, cutting edge research.’
Niall O’Leary is a chemistry graduate from the University of Bath. He graduated with an Mchem in 2019 after completing his final year project in hetero-bimetallic catalysis.
Niall commented, ‘I’m happy to be working within the science and tech industry again after my degree and I’m looking forward to talking to researchers about their work. Additionally, working within a science start-up has always been desirable as I feel like I am making a more impactful contribution to the direction of the company.’
We’re happy to have them both on board!
As always, our new sales coordinators are happy to help with your AFM probe queries. Get in touch by phone or email info@nunano.com.
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New Distribution Partners: SPI Supplies
We are excited to announce our new distribution partners SPI Supplies.
SPI Supplies are a leading supplier, manufacturer and distributor of sample preparation equipment and consumable supply items for the routine operation of the typical SEM, TEM, LM, SPM and surface analysis laboratory.
At NuNano, we aim to stay up to date with the latest research developments related to atomic force microscopy and we are excited to see how our AFM probes are used worldwide.
Make sure to look out for SPI Supplies at the Microscopy & Microanalysis 2020 Virtual Meeting (3rd-7th August)
NuNano supports ground-breaking research in the fight against antibiotic resistance
Researchers in Sheffield have published a revolutionary paper revealing the molecular structure of bacterial cell walls for the first time using atomic force microscopy.
In the paper, published in Nature, scientists from the Physics and Astronomy department and the department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Sheffield shared the first high-resolution images of the structure of the cell wall of bacteria. These images will provide valuable insights for scientists working to develop new antibiotics to tackle antibiotic resistance.
When extra experiments were requested as part of the article’s review process extra microfabricated silicon grids were required to immobilise the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria used in the study, NuNano was able to draw on our extensive fabrication experience and capabilities to quickly deliver the custom silicon substrate.
One of the authors of the paper, Laia Pasquina-Lemonche, said, ‘We were pressed for time and NuNano quickly provided us with the custom-made silicon grids which allowed us to do the final experiments required by the reviewers. Looking forward to more projects!’
You can read more about the paper and it’s impact on the University of Sheffield website and read the paper online.
An AFM image of a living bacterial cell from the study, sitting in the NuNano produced silicon grid. Image courtesy of Laia Pasquina-Lemonche.
NuNano specialises in manufacturing bespoke cantilever sensors but has the capability to microfabricate a wide range of substrates and devises. You can read a case study about custom AFM probes that NuNano produced for James Bowen of the Open University and find out more about our capabilities and how to get in touch with us about your next project here: https://www.nunano.com/bespoke-afm-probes
Operating under COVID-19
The events of the last few months have seen unprecedented change worldwide. With the escalation of the coronavirus situation, governments and businesses are taking important steps to contain and slow the spread of the disease.
At NuNano we have implemented measures to protect our team and do our part to delay the spread of COVID-19 while ensuring that we can continue to fulfil orders and provide customer support.
Having prepared for the current situations we do not foresee any disruption to orders of our standard probes and expect to continue to ship orders the next day.
If you expect problems with deliveries due to office and university closures please do let us know, we are happy to help by holding or redirecting orders until normal service resumes.
We hope you are keeping safe at this challenging time. If you have any questions or would like more information about our response to COVID–19 please get in touch.
Email info@nunano.com or call us on +44 117 299 3093
Completing our range of Standard Silicon Probes
We are pleased to announce the release of our SCOUT 150 probes, completing our SCOUT series of silicon AFM probes for general imaging applications in AC modes (non-contact/tapping) in air.
With a nominal spring constant of 18 N/m and a resonant frequency of 150 kHz, SCOUT 150 fills the gap in mechanical properties between our existing SCOUT 70 (2 N/m) and SCOUT 350 (42 N/m) probes. This range of spring constants facilitates reliable imaging on samples ranging from the soft(ish) through to the very hard.
SCOUT 150 probes, like others in the SCOUT range, are available with or without aluminium or gold reflective coatings (SCOUT 150 RAl and SCOUT 150 RAu). They are also available with a high aspect ratio (SCOUT 150 HAR) tip for deep trench imaging.
James Vicary, Managing Director at NuNano comments “I know just how critical it is to use exactly the right probe to get the best possible image – to be able to broaden our product range and offer our customers more choice is what the business is all about for me.”
About SCOUT 150 AFM Probe Model
The SCOUT 150 model of AFM probes have been specifically developed to provide the same exemplary dimensional tolerances and tip sharpness characteristic of all our AFM probes. Click on the links below for more detailed specifications and pricing:
SCOUT 150 - general purpose AC mode silicon AFM probes, suitable for non-contact/soft tapping modes in air. Spring constant: 18 N/m. Resonant frequency: 150 kHz
SCOUT 150 HAR – as above but featuring a high aspect ratio tip with a cone angle over the last 1 μm of less than 15 degrees.
As with all NuNano products the SCOUT 150 model is compatible with most commercially available AFMs.
For more information, to request a datasheet, free sample or a meeting with one of our team to discuss your needs further please call - +44 117 299 3093 or email info@nunano.com
(A slightly late) Welcome to Eddie!
A rather late but no less important welcome to Eddie Rollins.
Eddie joined the NuNano team in the summer after starting as a sales intern. He graduated with an MSci in Chemistry from the University of Bristol in 2018 having completed a final year project in synthetic biology. He has also worked in the direct sales industry for a variety of clients. We’re pleased to have Eddie as our full-time sales coordinator.
You can connect with Eddie on LinkedIn, email eddie@nunano.com or call on +44 (0) 117 299 3093, he’s always pleased to hear about how you’re using AFM!
Welcome Eddie! (just in time for Christmas…)
New distributors for Korea and SE Asia and Taiwan.
We are pleased to announce two new distribution partners, PLNANO in SE Asia and Taiwan and CnHTech in Korea!
PLNANO is a leading scientific instruments and automation solutions provider in South East Asia. For more information about purchasing our AFM probes if you’re based in South East Asia talk to our representative Lawrence Tan.
CnHTech provide total solutions for the nano world and are based in Seoul, South Korea. Our representative in CnHTech is ChulSu Kim.
We are looking forward to hearing about our range of AFM probes being used in new projects and research in Asia through our partnerships with these new distributors.
Our MD James commented ‘I’m excited that our AFM probes will now be used in an even larger range of projects across the globe!’
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Adding a Spark to our Scout probes!
Electrical modes of AFM are growing in popularity and scope, so we’re really excited to be expanding our product range by releasing our Spark conductive AFM probes
These new probes mean that our consistent tip sharpness and minimal variation of mechanical properties can now be applied to electrical AFM measurements.
The Spark 70 Pt is our conductive AFM probe for electrical characterisation in both contact mode and AC modes (non-contact/soft-tapping). With a nominal 2 N/m spring constant and 70 kHz resonant frequency, the Spark 70 Pt has the same mechanical specifications as the Scout 70 probe. Applications include; Electrical AFM measurements in contact mode; including conductive AFM (CAFM) and piezoresponse microscopy (PFM), and in AC mode; electrostatic force microscopy (EFM), scanning kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) and scanning impedance microscopy (SIM).
The Spark 350 Pt is our conductive AFM probe for electrical characterisation in AC modes (non-contact/tapping). With a nominal 42 N/m spring constant and 350 kHz resonant frequency, it has the same mechanical specifications as the Scout 350 probe. Applications include; Electrical AFM measurements using AC modes; including electrostatic force microscopy (EFM), scanning kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) and scanning impedance microscopy (SIM).
About Spark Probe Models
The two models of conductive AFM probes have 40 nm platinum coating with a 5nm titanium adhesion layer on both sides of the probe and a tip radius of less than 30 nm exhibiting exemplary dimensional tolerances and tip sharpness, characteristic of all our AFM probes. Click on the links below for more detailed specifications and pricing.
Spark 70 Pt - conductive AFM probe for electrical characterisation in both contact mode and AC modes (non-contact/soft-tapping) with Pt conductive coating on both sides.
Spring constant: 2 N/m. Resonant frequency: 70 kHz
Spark 350 Pt - conductive AFM probe for electrical characterisation in AC modes (non-contact/tapping) with Pt conductive coating on both sides.
Spring constant: 42 N/m. Resonant frequency: 350 kHz
The Spark model is compatible with most commercially available AFMs capable of electrical characterisation.
For more information, to request a datasheet, free sample or a meeting with one of our team to discuss your needs further please call - +44 117 299 3093 or email info@nunano.com
About NuNano
NuNano is a UK-based company specialising in the design and manufacture of consistently high-performance probes for atomic force microscopy and cantilever-based sensor devices.