Acoustic monitoring humidity effects on the formation of water bridges at sharp contacts

Abstract

Shear-force Acoustic Near-field Microscopy (SANM) and Whispering Gallery Acoustic Sensing (WGAS) are used to evaluate the role of humidity on the formation and rupture of water meniscus bridges that form between a laterally oscillating tapered probe and a flat substrate. SANM monitors the near-field acoustic wave emitted by the meniscus, while WGAS monitors acoustically the probe’s amplitude of oscillation, as a function of the probe-sample distance. In the instances reported here, the SANM/WGAS measurements are performed in frequency modulation modality, which allows to discriminate the elastic and inelastic components of the probe-fluid-substrate interaction. The response signal traces, acquired when the probe first approaches and then retracts from the sample at 56% relative humidity (or below), revealed absence of hysteresis; this result persists when performing the same experiment a few days later. However, as the humidity increases (different trials from 56% to 67% are included) a notorious hysteresis is observed between the approach and retraction traces. The results indicate that, as the probe approaches the substrate, a higher humidity promotes an increase of stochastic instabilities in the probe-fluid-substrate interactions (reflected in higher damping effects on the probe, and instabilities in the probe-sample distance feedback control). However, the elastic response of the water meniscus prevails over damping effect, as revealed by the greater acoustic emission despite a decrease in the probe’s amplitude. These measurements are relevant to investigations on the dynamic behavior of fluids near hydrophobic/philic substrates, and wetting properties of solids and nanotribology phenomena in general.