Induced water condensation and bridge formation by electric fields in atomic force microscopy.
We present an analytical model that explains how, in humid environments, the electric field near a sharp tip enhances the formation of water menisci and bridges between the tip and a sample. The predictions of the model are compared with experimental measurements of the critical distance where the field strength causes bridge formation.
Sacha
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GM
Materials Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA. sgomezmonivas@lbl.gov
Verdaguer
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Salmeron
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