Icon afm

The height images were measured under ambient conditions using a Bruker Icon AFM (Bruker Corporation, Billerica, MA, USA) in tapping mode. The AFM was equipped with a TESPA-V2 cantilever with a tip apex radius of 7 nm, with a resonant frequency of 320 kHz and a spring constant of 37 N/m. The AFM data were processed with Gwyddion (version 2.56) which was used to extract the single and average height profiles and export the images.

Surface coverage and thickness were measured using peak-force tapping mode in a Bruker Icon AFM using scanasyst AFM tips with a nominal tip radius of ∼2 nm and a spring constant of 0.4 N/m. Raman and PL measurements were performed using a HORIBA LabRAM HR Evolution Raman microscope with laser wavelengths of 532 nm. Raman spectra were collected with 1800 grooves per mm grating, while PL measurements were conducted with 300 grooves per mm grating. The Raman and PL maps were acquired over a 5 × 5 µm² area. X-ray diffraction characterization of MoS₂ films was carried out with a PANalytical MRD diffractometer with a 5-axis cradle. X-rays were generated in a standard Cu anode X-ray tube operated at 40 kV accelerating voltage and 45 mA filament current. Cu K line was filtered by a mirror with 1/4° slit and Ni filter on the primary beam side. On the diffracted beam side, an 0.27° parallel plate collimator with 0.04 rad Soller slits with PIXcell detector in open detector mode was employed. Samples' surface was ~2–4° away from the X-ray incidence plane such that diffraction caused by the (h k i 0) planes, to determine the in-plane epitaxial relation of the film with respect to a substrate, could be measured^{35 (link)}.

PC2 channel complexes were imaged with an ICON AFM attached to a Nano-Scope V controller (Bruker, Sta. Barbara, CA). Unless otherwise stated, samples were scanned with oxide sharpened silicon-nitride tips (DNP-S, Bruker). BLMs were scanned in either tapping or contact mode, in liquid (Fig 1c) with silicon nitride cantilevers with a spring constant of 0.06 N/m and operating frequencies for the tapping mode of 8 kHz (tip radius estimated as ~25 nm). Scanning rates varied from 0.3 to 2 Hz. One line scans in contact mode were conducted at 1–15 Hz, depending on the length of the scanned line (average resolution 100 μs).

FT-nanoDMA was built upon the base of Bruker Icon AFM. An additional piezoceramic scanner (by NPoint Inc.) was added to oscillate the sample. To record the maps of various mechanical parameters, the AFM worked in a standard indentation (single force curve) mode synchronized with the submitting and analyzing the multi-frequency signal. The data (synchronization parameters, the deflection of the cantilever and scanner vertical position) were recorded. The control of the additional scanner, synchronization with the AFM hardware was done with the help of an FPGA data acquisition and control card (by National Instruments). Scanner and cantilever oscillations were recorded with National Instruments oscilloscope card. LabView software was used to implement the control and analysis of the data. The dull AFM probes were homemade21 (link) (similar probes are commercially available through various suppliers). The other standard methods used in this work for comparison are described in the supplementary materials (Sections 1). The spring constant of the cantilever was defined by using thermal tuning (built-in option in the AFM software). The other calibration methods were described in the Supplementary Materials.