Colloidal Probe Atomic Force Microscopy Reveals Anomalous Underscreening: A Matter of Experimental Conditions

Abstract

There is considerable debate about anomalous underscreening in highly concentrated electrolytes: While surface force apparatus (SFA) measurements have confirmed anomalously long screening lengths, so far they have not yet been detected in experiments using colloidal probe atomic force microscopy (CP-AFM). CP-AFM measurements across aqueous LaCl$_3$ solutions demonstrate that by adapting the experimental conditions to those of SFA studies, similarly large screening lengths can be achieved at high salt concentrations. This represents the first observation of anomalous underscreening with CP-AFM. These findings leave room for speculations about the ordering of the confined electrolyte.