Electrostatic forces in atomic force microscopy

In this paper we quantitatively compare various electrostatic models, which describe the interaction of a polarized atomic force microscopy tip with a molecularly smooth and grounded substrate, with a large experimental data set collected at many different tip potentials. The model by Hudlet [Eur. Phys. J. B 2, 5 (1998)] provides an excellent description of the experimental data for tip parameters (height H, cone half-angle theta(0), and tip radius R-0) close to their typical values, provided contributions from the cantilever body are included.