Lateral hydrodynamic interactions between an emulsion droplet and a flat surface evaluated by frictional force microscopy

Review and perspectives of AFM application on the study of deformable drop/bubble interactions

The applications of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) on the study of dynamic interactions and film drainage between deformable bodies dispersed in aqueous solutions are reviewed in this article. Novel experimental designs and recent advances in experimental methodologies are presented, which show the advantage of using AFM as a tool for probing colloidal interactions. The effects of both DLVO and non-DLVO forces on the colloid stabilization mechanism are discussed. Good agreement is found between the force - drop/bubble deformation behaviour revealed by AFM measurements and the theoretical modeling of film drainage process, giving a convincing explanation of the occurrence of certain phenomenon. However, the behaviour and shape of deformable drops as they approach or retract is still not well resolved. In addition, when surfactants are present further research is needed on the absorption of surfactant molecules into the interfaces, their mobility and the effects on interfacial film properties.

Tribology of thin wetting films between bubble and moving solid surface

This work shows a successful example of coupling of theory and experiment to study the tribology of bubble rubbing on solid surface. Such kind of investigation is reported for the first time in the literature. A theory about wetting film intercalated between bubble and moving solid surface was developed, thus deriving the non-linear evolution differential equation which accounted for the friction slip coefficient at the solid surface. The stationary 3D film thickness profile, which appears to be a solution of the differential equation, for each particular speed of motion of the solid surface was derived by means of special procedure and unique interferometric experimental setup. This allowed us to determine the 3D map of the lift pressure within the wetting film, the friction force per unit area and the friction coefficient of rubbing at different speeds of motion of the solid surface. Thus, we observed interesting tribological details about the rubbing of the bubble on the solid surface like for example: 1. A regime of mixed friction between dry and lubricated friction exists in the range of 6-170 μm/s, beyond which the rubbing between the bubble and solid becomes completely lubricated and passes through the maximum; 2. The friction coefficient of rubbing has high values at very small speeds of solid's motion and reduces substantially with the increase of the speed of the solid motion until reaching small values, which change insignificantly with the further increase of the speed of the solid. Despite the numerous studies on the motion of bubble/droplet in close proximity to solid wall in the literature, the present investigation appears to be a step ahead in this area as far as we were able to derive 3D maps of the bubble close to the solid surface, which makes the investigation more profound.

In situ hydrodynamic lateral force calibration of AFM colloidal probes

Lateral force microscopy (LFM) is an application of atomic force microscopy (AFM) to sense lateral forces applied to the AFM probe tip. Recent advances in tissue engineering and functional biomaterials have shown a need for the surface characterization of their material and biochemical properties under the application of lateral forces. LFM equipped with colloidal probes of well-defined tip geometries has been a natural fit to address these needs but has remained limited to provide primarily qualitative results. For quantitative measurements, LFM requires the successful determination of the lateral force or torque conversion factor of the probe. Usually, force calibration results obtained in air are used for force measurements in liquids, but refractive index differences between air and liquids induce changes in the conversion factor. Furthermore, in the case of biochemically functionalized tips, damage can occur during calibration because tip-surface contact is inevitable in most calibration methods. Therefore, a nondestructive in situ lateral force calibration is desirable for LFM applications in liquids. Here we present an in situ hydrodynamic lateral force calibration method for AFM colloidal probes. In this method, the laterally scanned substrate surface generated a creeping Couette flow, which deformed the probe under torsion. The spherical geometry of the tip enabled the calculation of tip drag forces, and the lateral torque conversion factor was calibrated from the lateral voltage change and estimated torque. Comparisons with lateral force calibrations performed in air show that the hydrodynamic lateral force calibration method enables quantitative lateral force measurements in liquid using colloidal probes.

Novel characterization of microdrops and microbubbles in emulsions and foams using atomic force microscopy

The nature of the interface of drops or bubbles and the dynamic interactions between them often mediate or control macroscopic behavior in the formulation and processing of emulsions and foams in solvent extraction, froth flotation, food, personal care products, and microfluidics as well as in many biological processes. Characterization of these interfaces is often complicated due to the small size of the drops and bubbles that may range from the micrometer scale to hundreds of micrometers. We report the direct measurement of the surface or interfacial tension of drops or bubbles in aqueous solutions as a function of the concentration and type of surfactant, using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and a recently developed nanoneedle AFM cantilever. We also demonstrate the viability of imaging drops or bubbles of this size in both tapping and contact imaging modes through a systematic study of parameters, including cantilever spring constant, tip geometry, imaging force, and feedback settings as well as the AFM manufacturer. The imaging study demonstrates the viability of using AFM to visualize complex structures at the oil-water or air-water interface as well as how concentric ring artifacts observed in the literature are the result of earlier AFM instrument limitations.