Dissipative particle dynamics simulation of a liquid meniscus confined between atomic force microscope tip and substrate

Liquid meniscus forms between the atomic force microscope (AFM) tip and the substrate under ambient humidity. The liquid meniscus affects the AFM measurements and plays an important role in dip-pen nanolithography. To understand the behaviors of the meniscus, a mesoscopic methodology called dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) is utilized to investigate the liquid meniscus confined between AFM tip and a solid surface. Results show that the structure of the liquid meniscus is highly dependent on the wettability properties of the tip and the substrate as well as the tip-to-surface distance. The area of liquid-solid interface increases as the wetting properties of the tip and substrate change from hydrophilic to hydrophobic, which results in a transition of the meniscus shape from convex to concave. The wetting properties of solid surface affect the process of the liquid meniscus breakup as the tip-to-surface distance increase. This nonlinear process is also affected by the surface tension of the liquid, thermal fluctuation and the speed of tip.