COMPANY Management Team Scientific Advisors News Careers TECHNOLOGY nanoIR FAQ-nanoIR nano-TA HT-AFM PRODUCTS nanoIR nano-TA2 SThM VESTA Probes APPLICATIONS nanoscale IR Spectroscopy nanoscale Thermal Analysis SUPPORT Applications Lab Manual Technical Notes Released Software EVENTS Conferences and Tradeshows Webinars CONTACT Request Information Sales Contacts Location Technology     Tutorial     HT-AFM     nano-TA Introduction to Local-Thermal Analysis via TMA (Thermo-mechanical analysis). The nano-TA probe is first used by the AFM to image with nanoscale resolution (with the normal visualization modes of the AFM) which then helps the user identify the points where they would like to get local thermal property information. The probe is moved to the first point selected and placed on the surface of the sample. The temperature of the tip is then ramped linearly with time while the degree of bending is monitored. At the point of phase transition, the material beneath the tip softens and the probe penetrates into the sample, this provides the nanoscale equivalent of a bulk thermo-mechanical analysis experiment whereby you can measure the phase transition temperatures of the sample such as Tg or Tm. . This is illustrated in the animation.    © 2010 Anasys Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved.