Investigating the Effects of Electron Beam Irradiation on Nanoscale Adhesion

Electron microscopy allows for resolving of structure sizes far below the resolution limit of optical microscopes and is therefore increasingly applied as an in-situ imaging method during manipulation and characterization of nanomaterials. However, little is known about the influence of the electron beam used on the respective experiment, which can lead to considerable uncertainty about the repeatability of the relevant manipulation sequence or the accuracy of the characterization results obtained. Here we investigate the influence of electron beam irradiation on nanoscale adhesive interactions using piezoresistive force sensors decorated with individual colloidal particles. We can demonstrate that both electron beam-induced deposits as well as electrostatic forces can dominate the relevant adhesion mechanisms. The results thus clearly reveal the importance of considering effects originating from electron beam irradiation in the conduct and interpretation of in-situ experiments, which in turn is of significant relevance for the growing community of researchers involved in this methodology.