Related papers: Impact of Electrostatic Forces in Contact Mode Sca…
We report variation of the work function for single and bi-layer graphene devices measured by scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM). Using the electric field effect, the work function of graphene can be adjusted as the gate voltage tunes…
Scanning Probe Microscopy is used to study and quantify the nanoscale electric phenomena in the two classes of oxide systems, namely transport at electroactive grain boundaries and surface behavior of ferroelectric materials. Scanning…
Interactions between atomic and molecular objects are to a large extent defined by the nanoscale electrostatic potentials which these objects produce. We introduce a scanning probe technique that enables three-dimensional imaging of local…
Measurements of the Casimir force require the elimination of electrostatic interactions between the surfaces. However, due to electrostatic patch potentials, the voltage required to minimize the total force may not be sufficient to…
Experiments performed by friction force microscopy at atomic-scale surface steps on graphite, MoS$_2$, and NaCl in ambient conditions are presented. Both step-down and step-up scans exhibit higher frictional forces at the edge, but…
Zinc oxide (ZnO) is the most important material for the fabrication of modern varistors (variable resistors). It is known that the highly nonlinear current-voltage relationship of ZnO varistors is due to effects taking place at the grain…
The existence of a monotonic distance dependent contact potential between two plates in a Casimir experiment leads to an additional electrostatic force that is significantly different from the case of a constant potential. Such a varying…
Surface electric noise, i.e., the non-uniform distribution of charges and potentials on a surface, poses a great experimental challenge in modern precision force measurements. Such a challenge is encountered in a number of different…
We develop a theory of static friction by modeling the homogeneous surfaces of contact as being composed of a regular array of compressible elastic smooth microscopic inclines. Static friction is thought of as the resistance due to having…
Surface-bound electric charge on polymer materials can strongly influence droplet behaviour and solid-liquid charge transfer, but the mechanisms and the means to control these effects remain unclear. In this work, we systematically…
A force measurement technique has been developed that utilizes a clamped fiber optic element both as a cantilever and as a highly sensitive probe of the static and dynamic displacement of a sample that is mounted near its free end. Light…
Several new experiments have extended studies of the Casimir force into new and interesting regimes. This recent work will be briefly reviewed. With this recent progress, new issues with background electrostatic effects have been uncovered.…
Solid friction between two rough surfaces is often observed to increase logarithmically over time due to contact creeping. An intriguing question is whether a similar aging effect occurs in contact line (CL) friction over rough substrates.…
We propose a theoretical model of friction under electrochemical conditions focusing on the interaction of a force microscope tip with adsorbed polar molecules of which the orientation depends on the applied electric field. We demonstrate…
The effect of surface stress on the stiffness of cantilever beams remains an outstanding problem in the physical sciences. While numerous experimental studies report significant stiffness change due to surface stress, theoretical…
Electrostatic patch potentials give rise to forces between neutral conductors at distances in the micrometer range and must be accounted for in the analysis of Casimir force experiments. In this paper we develop a quasi-local model for…
Experimental investigations of surface forces generally involve two solid bodies of simple and well-defined geometry interacting across a medium. Direct measurement of their surface interaction can be interpreted to reveal fundamental…
The open water surface is known to be charged. Yet, the magnitude of the charge and the physical mechanism of the charging remain unclear, causing heated debates across the scientific community. Here we directly measure the charge Q of…
Electrostatics in the solution phase is governed by free electrical charges such as ions, as well as by bound charges that arise when a polarizable medium responds to an applied field. In a local medium, described by a constant dielectric…
Atomic Force Microscope images of a crack intersecting the free surface of a glass specimen are taken at different stages of subcritical propagation. From the analysis of image pairs, it is shown that a novel Integrated Digital Image…