Grant Webber1, Rogerio Manica2, Steven Carnie2, G. W. Stevens1, Franz Grieser3, D.Y.C. Chan2, and Raymond R. Dagastine4. (1) PFPC and the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010, Australia, (2) PFPC and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010, Australia, (3) PFPC and the School of Chemistry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010, Australia, (4) PFPC and the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010, Australia
Colloidal interaction forces in soft matter systems can often dominate overall behaviour in a wide rang of areas including emulsions, foams, and even cellular systems. In many instances a rigid body is often interacting with or probing a deformable one as is the case for mineral floatation, cells on surfaces, and studies of drops or bubbles approach solid surfaces. The underlying phenomena behind these systems are a commonly a complex interaction of hydrodynamics effects, surfaces forces and interfacial deformation. The study of these interactions using AFM has resulted in significant insight into the interactions between soft matter, yet the analysis methods to quantitatively interpret these systems have become quite complex. We have employed AFM to study the dynamic interactions between a large rigid particle and an immobilized oil droplet. By building on early analysis methods, we are able to present more simplified analytical tools to describe these phenomena. These approximations and their utility will be discussed.