Nanotribology and Nanomechanics . Bharat Bhushan Editor Nanotribology and Nanomechanics Nanotribology, Biomimetics and Industrial Applications Volume 2 Editor Bharat Bhushan Ohio State University Nanoprobe Laboratory for Bio- & Nanotechnology & Biomimetics (NLB2) 201 West 19th Avenue Columbus Ohio 43210-1142 USA
[email protected] ISBN 978-3-642-15262-7 e-ISBN 978-3-642-15263-4 DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-15263-4 Springer Heidelberg Dordrecht London New York Library of Congress Control Number: 2011928932 # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Violations are liable to prosecution under the German Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Cover design: WMXDesign GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Foreword The invention of the scanning tunneling microscope in 1981 has led to an explosion of a family of instruments called scanning probe microscopes (SPMs). One of the most popular instruments in this family is the atomic force microscope (AFM), which was introduced to the scientific community in 1986. The application of SPMs has penetrated numerous science and engineering fields. Proliferation of SPMs in science and technology labs is similar to optical microscopes 50 years ago. SPMs have even made it into some high school science labs. Evolution of nanotechnology has accelerated the use of SPMs and vice versa. The scientific and industrial applic