title: Effect of tip size on force measurement in atomic force microscopy.
abstract: An atomic force microscope (AFM) has been used to study solvation forces at the solid-liquid interface between highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and the liquids octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS), n-hexadecane (n-C16H34), and n-dodecanol (n-C11H23CH2OH). Oscillatory solvation forces (F) are observed for various measured tip radii (Rtip=15-100 nm). It is found that the normalized force data, F/Rtip, differ between AFM tips with a clear trend of decreasing F/Rtip with increasing Rtip.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119620.
authors.forename: Leonard T W
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Andrew T S
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Wee
authors.forename: Sean J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: O'Shea