Wavelet Transform‐Based Atomic Force Microscopy: A Computational Paradigm for Dynamic Nanoscale Imaging and Characterisation

Wavelet transform‐based atomic force microscopy (WT‐AFM) marks a significant paradigm shift in nanoscale imaging by enabling real‐time, simultaneous computational analysis of tip–sample interactions in both the time and frequency domains. Unlike conventional AFM approaches that are limited to steady‐state, single‐frequency responses—the WT‐AFM directly applies wavelet transform techniques to the raw cantilever deflection signal, providing direct access to non‐linear, transient and multi‐frequency dynamics that remain obscured in traditional modalities. The WT‐AFM framework integrates high‐speed data acquisition, wavelet decomposition, adaptive noise filtering and a custom unsupervised image fusion algorithm to generate high‐contrast, information‐rich maps of nanoscale heterogeneity. Coupled with digital twin simulations, this approach bridges experimental measurement with underlying materials physics, offering a powerful interpretative framework for dynamic spectral features. Beyond surpassing the existing multi‐frequency AFM techniques in temporal resolution, bandwidth and sensitivity to non‐steady‐state behaviour, the WT‐AFM establishes a dynamic platform for high‐speed force mapping, time‐resolved Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy and the investigation of complex viscoelastic or multi‐layer systems. This perspective highlights how WT‐AFM stands to redefine nanoscale characterisation by extending AFM as a computational dynamic platform for probing the temporal evolution of electronic processes, transient interactions and functional heterogeneity at the nanoscale.