Scanning force microscopy investigation of liquid structures and its application to fundamental wetting research

The possibility of determining the topography of liquid profiles by scanning force microscopy (SFM) in tapping mode is discussed in detail as to its possible mechanism and accuracy. Applications of this technique to the investigation of contact line tensions and effective interface potentials are presented. Two complementary methods, both based on SFM of the liquid topography, are demonstrated for determining contact line tensions. The values obtained are within the theoretically expected range.