A study of interaction forces at the solid-liquid interface using atomic force microscopy

Abstract

Solid-liquid interfaces are not only omnipresent in our daily lives, but also in many applications in industry and technology. However, our fundamental understanding of the physical properties of these interfaces is far from complete. In this thesis, we study properties, such as solvation forces, DLVO forces and electro-hydrodynamic dissipation of solid-liquid interfaces by the use of AFM. Thereby, we study various methods of AFM force spectroscopy, to find reliable and efficient measurements under liquid. Techniques explored include thermal noise spectroscopy (TNS), amplitude modulation (AM) with piezo excitation and photothermal excitation. With these techniques, we investigate solvation forces in non-polar liquids and water, DLVO forces, and electro-hydrodynamic dissipation in the electric double layer (EDL).