Mechanical Detachment of Nanometer Partaicles Strongly Adhering to a Substrate: An Application of Corrosive Tribology

摘要

The tip of a scanning probe microscope was used to detach nanometer-scale, single crystal NaCl particles grown on soda lime glass substrates. After imaging a particle at low contact forces, a single line scan at high contact force was used to detach the particle from the substrate. The peak lacteral force at detachment is a storng function of particle contact area and humidity. As the relative huidity is raised from low to high values, the strength of the paraticle-substrte bond decreases dramatically. We interpret these results in terms of detachment by chemicall-assisted crack growth along the NaCl-glass interface. Numerical estimates of the electostatic and dispersive contributions to the work of adhesion are also discussed.