Unveiling Van Der Waals Forces and Associated Hamaker Constants Across the Nanomaterial Landscape With Advanced...

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Materials Science
• Biophysics

Background:

• Van der Waals (vdW) forces and Hamaker constants are crucial for nanoscale phenomena.
• Precise quantification of vdW interactions is challenging due to limitations in conventional methods.
• Atomic force microscopy (AFM) offers high-resolution, nondestructive measurement capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the physics of vdW interactions.
• To discuss advancements in AFM methodologies for vdW force quantification.
• To explore applications and future prospects of AFM in vdW force detection.

Main Methods:

• Review of vdW interaction physics.
• Analysis of advanced AFM techniques for nanoscale force measurements.
• Integration of AFM with quantum mechanical frameworks.

Main Results:

• AFM overcomes spatial resolution limitations of conventional methods.
• AFM enables high-resolution, nondestructive measurement of vdW forces and Hamaker constants.
• AFM applications demonstrated in 2D materials and biological systems.

Conclusions:

• AFM is a powerful tool for quantifying vdW forces at the nanoscale.
• AFM facilitates understanding of critical interactions in materials and biological systems.
• Emerging AFM integrations promise unprecedented accuracy for novel applications.