Nanobubbles on solid surface imaged by atomic force microscopy

Abstract
Gas bubbles of nanometer size were produced on atomically flat solid surfaces and imaged by atomic force microscopy (AFM) in tapping mode in water. In AFM images, nanobubbles appeared like bright spheres. Some of the bubbles remained stable for hours during the experiments. The bubbles were disturbed under high load during AFM imaging. A related mechanism is discussed.