Atomic Force Microscopy Study of nano-confined liquids

by Li, Tai-De

In this thesis, we investigate the structural and dynamical properties of nano-confined liquids by means of a new AFM-based technique that has the ability to measure normal force, lateral force, and the distance between the AFM tip and the sample simultaneously. Thanks to the mechanical stability of our apparatus, a judicious choice, and a new mechanical drift analysis, we are able to measure the tip-sample distance with sub-angstrom resolution, all the way down to the last liquid layer.