Effect of humidity on the surface adhesion force of inorganic crystals by the force spectrum method

Effect of relative humidity on the surface adhesion force of several inorganic crystals of mica, CaF₂ and KCl was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results showed that the magnitude of surface adhesion force is mainly dependent on the surface free energy of the adsorbed liquid film, but almost independent of the thickness of the film. Furthermore, the deliquescence on the crystal surface was investigated, which demonstrated the capability of the force spectrum method to monitor changes in ionic concentrations of adsorbed liquid film in real-time.