Bottom-Illuminated Photothermal Nanoscale Chemical Imaging with a Flat Silicon ATR in Air and Liquid

We demonstrate a novel approach for bottom-illuminated atomic force microscopy and infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR). Bottom-illuminated AFM-IR for measurements in liquids makes use of an attenuated total reflection setup where the developing evanescent wave is responsible for photothermal excitation of the sample of interest.