| Abstract
| - Due to its perfect cleavage that provides large areas of molecularly smooth, chemically inert surfaces,mica is the most commonly used natural substrate in measurements with the surface forces apparatus(SFA), in atomic force microscopy (AFM), and in many adsorption studies. However, preparing mica surfacesthat are truly clean is not easy since mica is a high-energy surface that readily adsorbs water, organiccontaminants, and gases from the atmosphere. Mica can also become charged on cleaving, which makesit prone to picking up oppositely charged particles or mica flakes from the surroundings. High refractiveindex particles, such as metals, will adhere to mica through van der Waals forces. Recent articles havedemonstrated that particle contamination is obtained when inappropriate cutting and handling proceduresfor the mica are used. In this paper, we show that both particle and other critical contamination is easyto detect and provide proper steps to take during the sample preparation process.
|
