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Soft matter, such as polymers and surfactants, can be anchored on solid surfaces to form various molecular structures, readily modifying surface properties and mediating desired interactions between the solid surfaces. These molecular structures include, for instance, polymer brushes and lipid bilayers. Soft matter is also ubiquitous on biological surfaces perfoming various functions, e.g., mediating cell adhesion or lubricating knee joints.
Direct measurement of such interactions, called surface forces, can give insights into the structures of soft matter molecules on a surface, particularly when such measurment is correlated with detailed surface charaterisation. The acquired knowledge will help to guide us in taloring soft matter molecular architectures so that they will effectively mediate desirable surface forces. In addition, it is also relevant to understanding a number of biological processes where surface forces play a role.
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