Description

The near-field region within an order of 100 nm from the solid interface is an exciting and crucial arena where many important multiscale transport phenomena are physically characterized, such as flow mixing and drag, heat and mass transfer, near-wall behavior of nanoparticles, binding of bio-molecules, crystallization, surface deposition processes, just naming a few. This monograph presents a number of label-free experimental techniques developed and tested for near-field fluid flow characterization. Namely, these include Total Internal Reflection Microscopy (TIRM), Optical Serial Sectioning Microscopy (OSSM), Surface Plasmon Resonance Microscopy (SPRM), Interference Reflection Contrast Microscopy (IRCM), Thermal Near-Field Anemometry, Scanning Thermal Microscopy (STM), and Micro-Cantilever Near-Field Thermometry. Presentation on each of these is laid out for the working principle, how to implement the system, and its example applications, to promote the readers understanding and knowledge of the specific technique that can be applied for their own research interests.