Probing the morphology and tribo-response of nanostructured fluid films for personal care applications

A methodology is presented for probing silicone-based polymer-surfactant complex films a few nanometers in thickness with atomic force microscopy (AFM). The films include 2D regions of liquid character interspersed in regions of solid character. Images in dynamic regimes of net repulsive compared to net attractive interaction show remarkable differences, and are compared with contact mode images to help elucidate contrast mechanisms. Approach-retract cycles are explored in each regime to develop essential understandings of probe-film interaction. Highly selective liquid transport up the AFM tip is discovered and utilized diagnostically to reveal intriguing aspects of film morphology and dynamics.