Actuality from the project

The design and integration of the AFM-IR microscope in a controlled atmosphere were quickly validated, and its installation was completed in January 2025. New dedicated imaging modes yielded convincing and robust results, enabling enhanced IR quantification and initial developments in AFM-IR tomography. All of these factors led to a fully operational system by the end of 2025. The imaging tests led to the publication of two articles on the state of the art in doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5c04015 (doi.org/10.1063/5.0317307) and resulted in a joint patent filed by Bruker, nano-CNRS, and the University of Paris-Saclay. The inauguration of the MUSIICS platform (which houses the astro-AFMIR instrument) took place in December 2025 in the presence of numerous researchers (~80 people) as well as the president of Paris-Saclay University, the CNRS director of chemistry, representatives from the Île-de-France region, and the heads of the DIM PAMIR and PEPR Origins programs (musiics.cnrs.fr). This inauguration highlighted the major results and advances of the astro-AFMIR component, notably through oral presentations and posters.

Focus

The Astro-AFMIR system is fully operational for the study of extraterrestrial materials (https://musiics.cnrs.fr/produit/systeme-afm-ir-iconir-glovebox/). The request for samples from Ryugu and Bennu within JAXA has been approved, and the samples have arrived (June 2026). Sample preparation is underway to begin a comparative study of the distribution of organic matter within these two asteroids without disrupting the inert (nitrogen) atmosphere cycle. We are positioned to participate in the medium term in the analysis of organic matter in samples returned by the MMX mission (Martian Moons Exploration). MMX is a Japanese space mission whose primary objective is to bring back to Earth a soil sample from Phobos, one of Mars’s two natural moons. During the mission, the spacecraft will conduct a detailed study of both Phobos and Deimos, both remotely and in situ (for Phobos only). The mission is scheduled to launch in October 2026 and return the soil samples to Earth around 2031.

Relation with others WP

This project is part of the future analysis of returned samples. We are maintaining close contact with other PEPR members (WP2.3 and WP2.4) to conduct cross-analyses and complementary analyses of the samples using PEPR instruments.

Relation with industries

The Bunker Nano company has actively collaborated with us on the design, development, and construction of the astro-AFMIR system, taking into account its specific characteristics.

Publication links to the project

Communication liée à une publication :https://www.inc.cnrs.fr/fr/cnrsinfo/la-nano-spectroscopie-infrarouge-revele-une-partie-des-secrets-de-lasteroide-ryugu

US Provisional patent No 19/243,481 “Atomic Force Microscope Based Infrared

Spectroscopy With Multiple Laser Pulse Repetition Rate Excitation”

-Programme de traitement des images infrarouge en force volume :

doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17936884

-Programme de traitement des spectres infrarouge : doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18744084

(hal-05645713) : M. Wagner et al. ACS nano 2025, 19,18791-18803 (doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.5c04015).

(hal-05645721) : J. Rojas etal. J. Appl. Phys. 139, 194901 (2026) (doi.org/10.1063/5.0317307).