OSU Microscopy Facility hosts Atomic Force Microscopy workshop

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Media Contact: Sydney Trainor | Communications and Media Relations Specialist | 405-744-9782 | [email protected]

Oklahoma State University welcomed Oxford Instruments/Asylum Research to campus Aug. 8 and 9 for a two-day Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) workshop, offering researchers hands-on experience with one of the facility's most advanced tools.

The event began with introductory lectures on Aug. 8, followed by live demonstrations the next day in OSU's Microscopy Facility at Venture 1. Attendees had the opportunity to explore the capabilities of the Oxford Asylum MFP-3D Infinity AFM, an instrument that allows researchers to analyze numerous material properties at the nanoscale.

Participants learned how to perform a wide range of applications, including topography mapping, electrical characterization, piezoresponse force microscopy, force mapping, magnetic force microscopy and conductive atomic force microscopy.

"The Asylum atomic force microscope is an incredibly versatile instrument for multidisciplinary research areas at OSU," said Dr. Derek Meyers, OSU Microscopy Facility director and physics associate professor. "Research ranges from force mapping of polymers for Young's modulus, friction tracing for surface termination analysis in crystals, piezoforce mapping for ferroelectric devices, surface topography in fluids for biological materials, and much more. The workshop was designed to showcase these extremely varied applications to help OSU researchers understand how they could be used to advance their own projects."

The workshop drew several OSU faculty members and a strong turnout of graduate students eager to learn how the AFM can support their research.

"Since my research is largely based on AFM, this hands-on workshop was an excellent opportunity to strengthen my skills and explore new applications," said Bunty Tomar, an aerospace and mechanical engineering graduate student. "I learned fast force mapping and elastic modulus mapping, which were completely new to me and will be highly valuable for my research."

While the workshop was a one-time event hosted by Oxford Instruments, Meyers noted that similar opportunities may return in the future. Recordings of the sessions will also be available for future users.

The Microscopy Facility aims to raise awareness of the advanced instrumentation available to researchers at OSU and beyond. By increasing usage of the facility's resources, Meyers said the university can help drive research output, collaboration across disciplines and expand the available equipment to address current and future research needs.