Publication detail

Nanometer-Sized Water Bridge and Pull-Off Force in AFM at Different Relative Humidities: Reproducibility Measurement and Model Based on Surface Tension Change

BARTOŠÍK, M. KORMOŠ, L. FLAJŠMAN, L. KALOUSEK, R. MACH, J. LIŠKOVÁ, Z. NEZVAL, D. ŠVARC, V. ŠAMOŘIL, T. ŠIKOLA, T.

Original Title

Nanometer-Sized Water Bridge and Pull-Off Force in AFM at Different Relative Humidities: Reproducibility Measurement and Model Based on Surface Tension Change

Type

journal article in Web of Science

Language

English

Original Abstract

This article deals with the analysis of the relationship between the pull-off force measured by atomic force microscopy and the dimensions of water bridge condensed between a hydrophilic silicon oxide tip and a silicon oxide surface under ambient conditions. Our experiments have shown that the pull-off force increases linearly with the radius of the tip and nonmonotonically with the relative humidity (RH). The latter dependence generally consists of an initial constant part changing to a convex–concave-like increase of the pull-off force and finally followed by a concave-like decrease of this force. The reproducibility tests have demonstrated that the precision limits have to be taken into account for comparing these measurements carried out under atmospheric conditions. The results were fitted by a classical thermodynamic model based on water-bridge envelope calculations using the numerical solution of the Kelvin equation in the form of axisymmetric differential equations and consequent calculation of adhesive forces. To describe the measured data more precisely, a decrease of the water surface tension for low RH was incorporated into the calculation. Such a decrease can be expected as a consequence of the high surface curvature in the nanometer-sized water bridge between the tip and the surface.

Keywords

AFM; pull-off force; SiO2; relative humidity; capillary condensation; surface tension

Authors

BARTOŠÍK, M.; KORMOŠ, L.; FLAJŠMAN, L.; KALOUSEK, R.; MACH, J.; LIŠKOVÁ, Z.; NEZVAL, D.; ŠVARC, V.; ŠAMOŘIL, T.; ŠIKOLA, T.

Released

11. 1. 2017

ISBN

1520-6106

Periodical

JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B

Year of study

121

Number

3

State

United States of America

Pages from

610

Pages to

619

Pages count

10

BibTex

@article{BUT132473,
  author="Miroslav {Bartošík} and Lukáš {Kormoš} and Lukáš {Flajšman} and Radek {Kalousek} and Jindřich {Mach} and Zuzana {Lišková} and David {Nezval} and Vojtěch {Švarc} and Tomáš {Šamořil} and Tomáš {Šikola}",
  title="Nanometer-Sized Water Bridge and Pull-Off Force in AFM at Different Relative Humidities: Reproducibility Measurement and Model Based on Surface Tension Change",
  journal="JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B",
  year="2017",
  volume="121",
  number="3",
  pages="610--619",
  doi="10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b11108",
  issn="1520-6106"
}