The Origin of the “Snap‐In” in the Force Curve between AFM Probe and the Water/Gas Interface of Nanobubbles |
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| Authors: | Yang Song Binyu Zhao Dr Lijuan Zhang Dr Junhong Lü Shuo Wang Prof Yaming Dong Prof Jun Hu |
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| Institution: | 1. Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800 (PR China), Tel: (+86)?21‐39194259, Fax: (+86)?21‐59552394;2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (PR China);3. Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Shanghai 201204 (PR China);4. Life and Environment Science College, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234 (PR China) |
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| Abstract: | The long‐range attractive force or “snap‐in” is an important phenomenon usually occurring when a solid particle interacts with a water/gas interface. By using PeakForce quantitative nanomechanics the origin of snap‐in in the force curve between the atomic force microscopy (AFM) probe and the water/gas interface of nanobubbles has been investigated. The snap‐in frequently happened when the probe was preserved for a certain time or after being used for imaging solid surfaces under atmospheric conditions. In contrast, imaging in liquids rarely induced a snap‐in. After a series of control experiments, it was found that the snap‐in can be attributed to hydrophobic interactions between the water/gas interface and the AFM probe, which was either modified or contaminated with hydrophobic material. The hydrophobic contamination could be efficiently removed by a conventional plasma‐cleaning treatment, which prevents the occurring of the snap‐in. In addition, the adsorption of sodium dodecyl sulfate onto the nanobubble surface changed the water/gas interface into hydrophilic, which also eliminated the snap‐in phenomenon. |
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| Keywords: | AFM probe hydrophobic interactions nanobubbles peakforce quantitative nanomechanics snap‐in |
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