Hydrodynamic force measurements under precisely controlled conditions: Correlation of slip parameters with the mean free path

A customized atomic force microscope has been utilized in dynamic mode to measure hydrodynamic forces between a sphere and a flat plate, both coated with gold. In order to study the influence of the mean free path on slippage without systematic errors due to varying surface properties, all data have been acquired at precisely the same spot on the plate. Local accommodation coefficients and slip lengths have been extracted from experimental data for He, Ne, Ar, Kr, as well as N2, CO2, and C2H6, at Knudsen numbers between 3 × 10-4 and 3. We found that slippage is effectively suppressed if the mean free path of the fluid is lower than the roughness amplitude on the surface, while we could not observe a clear correlation between the accommodation coefficient and the molecular mass. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.