Nanorheology and boundary slip in confined liquids using atomic force microscopy

The physical properties of materials at the nanometer scale can be completely different from those of the bulk. Here we review some of the properties of confined liquids using an atomic force microscope (AFM). We present different experimental schemes used to study layering of the liquid confined between an AFM tip and solid substrate. Then we consider the liquid flow close to the solid wall and report some experimental measurements of the liquid slip on different surfaces using colloidal particles glued to an AFM cantilever. Nanobubble formation on hydrophobic surfaces is also described at the end of the paper.