June 30th, 2015

Bruker today announced the release of its second-generation Inspire™ infrared (IR) nanocharacterization system, which features 10-nanometer spatial resolution infrared chemical mapping in an easy-to-use, laser-safe package. With IR EasyAlign™, Inspire simplifies scattering scanning near-field optical microscopy (sSNOM), a powerful technique for identifying chemical composition at the nanoscale. For the first time, the highest resolution nanoscale chemical mapping now becomes widely accessible. The system expands upon Bruker's exclusive PeakForce Tapping® technology to provide new information for graphene research, polymers, complex materials and thin films, instantly correlating chemical maps with sample properties, such as modulus, conductivity, and workfunction. Inspire accomplishes all of this at the highest spatial resolution, making it an exceptionally powerful and versatile nanochemical characterization system.

"Inspire is really the first fully integrated sSNOM solution. That combined with its PeakForce Tapping capabilities will allow us to perform novel experiments right from the start," said Gilbert C. Walker, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Toronto. "I am pleased to partner with Bruker to expand the great potential of sSNOM as a versatile tool for broader scientific discovery."
"Inspire is a nanoscale characterization system that extends atomic force microscopy into the chemical regime by providing 10-nanometer correlated infrared, mechanical and topographical information," added Steve Minne, Ph.D., General Manager of Bruker's AFM business. "This capability finally lets any researcher answer the fundamental question of 'where is it?', and now also 'what is it?' at the nanoscale."