Direct Observation of Domain Structures in Triglycine Sulfate by Atomic Force Microscope

Abstract

Direct observations of domain structures on a cleavage (010) plane of TGS [triglycine sulfate; (NH₂CH₂COOH)₃-H₂SO₄] are conducted using an atomic force microscope (AFM). The domain structure immediately after a cleavage treatment and its relaxed one are analyzed in detail, especially for the height of domain wall and the transition layer at antiparallel domain walls. Moreover, the positions of glycine and sulfate groups are determined by comparing the observed highly resolved molecular images with the electron-density function obtained from the reported X-ray diffraction data.