The attractive forces that occur between atoms and surfaces have been an area of focus for laboratory scientists working at the nanometre scale.
University of Arizona researchers claim they may be able to "refine our understanding of the structure of atoms and improve nanotechnology".
They have achieved this by looking at the attractive forces at work at levels of precision previously unseen.
In particular, the laboratory scientists' study investigated the van der Waals force, a combined effect of the attraction and repulsion between molecules that does not include electrostatic interaction or covalent bonding effects.
Vincent Lonij, the graduate student who led the study, says: "If you make your components small enough, eventually this van der Waals potential starts to become the dominant interaction."
By measuring the phase of beams of particles, the scientists are able to determine the strength of the force - and learn more about how it can prevent movement in nanoscale gears.
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