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Nanolevitation Phenomena in Real Plane-Parallel Systems Due to the Balance between Casimir and Gravity Forces
journal contribution
posted on 2015-12-17, 07:37 authored by Victoria Esteso, Sol Carretero-Palacios, Hernán MíguezWe report on the theoretical analysis
of equilibrium distances
in real plane-parallel systems under the influence of Casimir and
gravity forces at thermal equilibrium. Due to the balance between
these forces, thin films of Teflon, silica, or polystyrene in a single-layer
configuration and immersed in glycerol stand over a silicon substrate
at certain stable or unstable positions depending on the material
and the slab thickness. Hybrid systems containing silica and polystyrene,
materials which display Casimir forces and equilibrium distances of
opposite nature when considered individually, are analyzed in either
bilayer arrangements or as composite systems made of a homogeneous
matrix with small inclusions inside. For each configuration, equilibrium
distances and their stability can be adjusted by fine-tuning of the
volume occupied by each material. We find the specific conditions
under which nanolevitation of realistic films should be observed.
Our results indicate that thin films of real materials in plane-parallel
configurations can be used to control suspension or stiction phenomena
at the nanoscale.