With an AFM, a large range of topographies and many types of materials can be imaged and they include: atomic terraces, carbon nanotubes, colloidal particles, viruses, DVD textures up to micro lens textures, fractured surfaces and complex multi-phase polymers. AFM is also an essential tool to identify topographical features of particles submerged in liquid. The range of applications include soft polymers, bio-particles (cells, membranes, viruses) and a variety of inorganic particles. Given the wide variety of applications that use particles, it makes sense that there are many different ways to analyze and characterize particles. The following is a partial list of the material classes of particles in different environmental media, as analyized by an AFM: Imaging in Air/liquids

Dry Powders

Evaporated Suspensions

Bio-Particles

Carbon nanotubes

TEM/SEM Samples

Bio-Particles in Buffer

Inorganic Particles

Hard Surface Materials

Imaging embedded particles

Soft polymer and Bio-materials

Membranes and defects