Résumé
Despite being by far among the most widespread interface on Earth, with a pervasive presence in environment, biology, industry and daily life, physical phenomena at Air-Water Interface (AWI) are still largely elusive. This fact is related to the complexity of AWI with its peculiar electrostatic and flow boundary conditions. In this paper, we present a study of the dynamics and interactions of charged microparticles diffusing at submicrometric distances from an AWI. An interferometric set-up mounted on a microscope gives access to an highly resolved trajectory of the colloid (5-10 nm). Contrary to other established techniques (like TIRM and holography) our technique has the great advantage of allowing the measure of the absolute particle-interface distance. In order to control the electrostatic we use different concentration of salt and different pH in association with pH dependent charged microparticles.Surprisingly new equilibrium distances from the AWI are measured not accounted by established theories. In addition different drags corresponding to different boundaries conditions are found for same combination of particle and AWI depending on the particle’s motion direction namely perpendicular or parallel to the AWI.