Diamagnetic Levitation Cantilever System for the Calibration of Normal Force Atomic Force Microscopy Measurements*

In this presentation we report a novel technique for normal force calibration for Atomic Force Microcopy (AFM) adhesion measurements known as the diamagnetic normal force calibration (D-NFC) system. The levitation produced by the repulsion between a diamagnetic graphite sheet and a set of rare-earth magnets is used in order to produce an oscillation due to an unstable mechanical moment produced by a silicon cantilever supported on the graphite. The measurement of the natural frequency of this oscillation allows for the calculation of the stiffness of the system to three-digit accuracy. The D-NFC response was proven to have a high sensitivity for the structure of water molecules collected on its surface. This in turns allows for the study of the effects of coatings on the structure of surface water.