Peeling force spectroscopy: exposing the adhesive nanomechanics of one-dimensional nanostructures

The physics of adhesion and stiction of one-dimensional nanostructures such as nanotubes, nanowires, and biopolymers on different material substrates is of great interest for the study of biological adhesion and the development of nanoelectronics and nanocomposites. Here, we combine theoretical models and a new mode in the atomic force microscope to investigate quantitatively the physics of nanomechanical peeling of carbon nanotubes and nanocoils on different substrates. We demonstrate that when an initially straight nanotube is peeled from a surface, small perturbations can trigger sudden transitions between different geometric configurations of the nanotube with vastly different interfacial energies. This opens up the possibility of quantitative comparison and control of adhesion between nanotubes or nanowires on different substrates.