Surface force apparatus structure

A major advance in force measurement was the development by Tabor, Win-terton and Israelachvili of a surface force apparatus (SFA) involving crossed cylinders coated with molecularly smooth cleaved mica sheets [11, 28]. A current version of an apparatus is shown in Fig. VI-4 from Ref. 29. The separation between surfaces is measured interferometrically to a precision of 0.1 nm the surfaces are driven together with piezoelectric transducers. The combination of a stiff double-cantilever spring with one of a number of measuring leaf springs provides force resolution down to 10 dyn (10 N). Since its development, several groups have used the SFA to measure the retarded and unretarded dispersion forces, electrostatic repulsions in a variety of electrolytes, structural and solvation forces (see below), and numerous studies of polymeric and biological systems. 

Interactions between macromolecules (protems, lipids, DNA,.. . ) or biological structures (e.g. membranes) are considerably more complex than the interactions described m the two preceding paragraphs. The sum of all biological mteractions at the molecular level is the basis of the complex mechanisms of life. In addition to computer simulations, direct force measurements [98], especially the surface forces apparatus, represent an invaluable tool to help understand the molecular interactions in biological systems. 

Idziak S H J ef a/1994 The x-ray surface forces apparatus structure of a thin smectic liquid crystal film under confinement Science 264 1915-8... 

The development of a host of scanning probe devices such as the atomic force microscope (AFM) [13-17] and the surface forces apparatus (SFA) [18-22], on the other hand, enables experimentalists to study almost routinely the behavior of soft condensed matter confined by such substrates to spaces of molecular dimensions. However, under conditions of severe confinement a direct study of the relation between material properties and the microscopic structure of confined phases still remains an experimental challenge. 

Surface force apparatus has been applied successfully over the past years for measuring normal surface forces as a function of surface gap or film thickness. The results reveal, for example, that the normal forces acting on confined liquid composed of linear-chain molecules exhibit a periodic oscillation between the attractive and repulsive interactions as one surface continuously approaches to another, which is schematically shown in Fig. 19. The period of the oscillation corresponds precisely to the thickness of a molecular chain, and the oscillation amplitude increases exponentially as the film thickness decreases. This oscillatory solvation force originates from the formation of the layering structure in thin liquid films and the change of the ordered structure with the film thickness. The result provides a convincing example that the SFA can be an effective experimental tool to detect fundamental interactions between the surfaces when the gap decreases to nanometre scale. 

Chapter 1 is a view of the potential of surface forces apparatus (SFA) measurements of two-dimensional organized ensembles at solid-liquid interfaces. At this level, information is acquired that is not available at the scale of single molecules. Chapter 2 describes the measurement of surface interactions that occur between and within nanosized surface structures—interfacial forces responsible for adhesion, friction, and recognition. 

Surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS), 21 327-328 advantage of, 21 329 Surface Evolver software, 12 11 Surface excess, 24 135, 136 Surface extended X-ray absorption fine structure (SEXAFS), 19 179 24 72 Surface filtration, 11 322-323 Surface finish(es). See also Electroplating in electrochemical machining, 9 591 fatigue performance and, 13 486-487 Surface finishing agents, 12 33 Surface force apparatus, 1 517 Surface force-pore flow (SFPF) model,... 

In contrast to the situation in the case of van der Waals and electrostatic forces, very little is known about polymer-induced forces. The development of the surface force apparatus and scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopies have begun to shed light on this very difficult topic. In Section 13.6, we take a brief look at some of the polymer-induced forces of interest in colloid stability and structure. 

When two such surfaces approach each other, layer after layer is squeezed out of the closing gap (Fig. 6.12). Density fluctuations and the specific interactions then cause an exponentially decaying periodic force the periodic length corresponds to the thickness of each layer. Such forces were termed solvation forces because they are a consequence of the adsorption of solvent molecules to solid surfaces [168], Periodic solvation forces across confined liquids were first predicted by computer simulations and theory [168-171], In this case, however, the experimental proof came only few years afterwards using the surface forces apparatus [172,173]. Solvation forces are not only an important factor in the stability of dispersions. They are also important for analyzing the structure of confined liquids. 

As we have seen in Section 6.6.1 such confined liquids may behave quite differently from the bulk lubricant. Near the surfaces, the formation of layered structures can lead to an oscillatory density profile (see Fig. 6.12). When these layered structures start to overlap, the confined liquid may undergo a phase transition to a crystalline or glassy state, as observed in surface force apparatus experiments [471,497-500], This is correlated with a strong increase in viscosity. Shearing of such solidified films, may lead to stick-slip motions. When a critical shear strength is exceeded, the film liquefies. The system relaxes by relative movement of the surfaces and the lubricant solidifies again. 

Conceptually, predecessors of the scanning force microscope are the surface force apparatus (SFA) [73,74] and the stylus profilometer [75,76]. The SFA enables measurement of normal and friction forces between molecularly smooth surfaces as small as 1 nN as a function of distance with a resolution of 0.1 nm. In addition to the local force measurement, the profilometer provides a topographic map of the surface by scanning the surface with a sharp probe. However, the profilometer is not suitable for structure characterisation because of the large radius of the tip (about 1 pm) and the low sensitivity of the force sensor (in the range of 1(T2 to 1(T5 N). 

Adsorption. Sulfur and phosphorus ratios change with rubbing time. Tribofilms accumulated on the surface become thicker with time. All co-additives cause reduction in ZDDP surface coverage under all conditions studied. A surface force apparatus (SFA), and atomic force microscopy were used to determine tribofilm thiclaiess, molecular structure and mechanical properties. For the neutral ZDDP, monomolecular layer thickness is 1 nm and for basic ZDDP it is 1.6 nm (Sutherland et al., 1993 Bames et al., 2001 Bee et al., 1999 Dacre and Bovington, 1983 Georges et al., 1998 Paddy et al., 1990 Wu and Dacre, 1997). 

Using a surface forces apparatus, Israelachvili determined the force law for two molecularly smooth charged mica surfaces immersed in an aqueous solvent (see Israelachvili and Marra, 1986, and references cited therein). The repulsive hydration force is oscillatory (Fig. 8A). It is understood to reflect the geometry and local structure of the solvent and... 

In the last 40 years, techniques to directly measure surface forces and force laws (force vs. separation distance between surfaces) have been developed such as the surface forces apparatus (SFA) [6] and AFM. Surface forces are responsible for the work required when two contacting bodies (such as an AFM tip in contact with a solid surface) are separated from contact to infinite distance. Although the physical origin of all relevant surface forces can be derived from fundamental electromagnetic interactions, it is customary to group these in categories based on characteristic features that dominate the relevant physical behavior. Thus, one speaks of ionic (monopole), dipole—dipole, ion—dipole interactions, electrostatic multipole forces (e.g., quadrupole), induced dipolar forces, van der Waals (London dispersive) interactions, hydrophobic and hydrophilic solvation, structural and hydration forces,... 

Several properties of the filler are important to the compounder (279). Properties that are frequently reported by fumed silica manufacturers include the acidity of the filler, nitrogen adsorption, oil absorption, and particle size distribution (280,281). The adsorption techniques provide a measure of the surface area of the filler, whereas oil absorption is an indication of the structure of the filler (282). Measurement of the silanol concentration is critical, and some techniques that are commonly used in the industry to estimate this parameter are the methyl red absorption and methanol wettability (273,274,277) tests. Other techniques include various spectroscopies, such as diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy (drift), inverse gas chromatography (igc), photoacoustic ir, nmr, Raman, and surface forces apparatus (277,283—290). 

The surface forces apparatus (SFA) measures forces between atomically flat surfaces of mica. Mica is the only material that can be prepared with surfaces that are atomically flat across square-millimetre areas. The SFA confines liquid films of a few molecular layers thickness between two mica surfaces and then measures shear and normal forces between them (figure C2.9.3)b)). In essence, it measures the rheological properties of confined, ultra-thin fluid films. The SFA is limited to the use of mica or modified mica surfaces but can be used to study the properties of a wide range of fluids. It has provided experimental evidence for the formation oflayered structures in fluids confined between surfaces and evidence for shear-induced freezing of confined liquids at temperatures far higher than their bulk freezing temperatures [14. 15]. 

We have constructed a new surface-force apparatus capable of measuring the capillary pressure and structural disjoining pressure of the thinning curved emulsion film as a function of time and film thickness (11-16). This apparatus is equipped with Max Zhender differential interferometry... 

First observations of forces in liquid crystal were performed in the 80 s by Horn et al. [59]. They studied the force between two mica plates separated by a liquid crystal 5CB using the surface force apparatus. Later on, the forces due to the structure were briefly discussed by Poniewierski and Sluckin [57] and a detailed theoretical study of forces in paranematic systems was performed by Borstnik and Zumer [43]. In the meantime, much attention was paid to the fluctuation-induced forces [11,12,60,61]. Theoretical studies were followed by renewed experimental interest, studies being performed with surface forces apparatus [46] and atomic force microscopes [62]. 

In this article, we report an investigation of the tribological properties of PLL-g-PEG films carried out with a surface forces apparatus. Although the conditions applied in the experiments (moderate surface pressures, low velocities) are far removed from those of many practical macrotribological applications, they help to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of film structure, lubrication, and repair. 

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