  It is generally thought that capillary interactions in nanoscale contacts
give rise to unwanted behaviour due to high adhesion. We show that this is not
the case for sufficiently small contacts in ambient conditions. High resolution
ambient atomic force microscopy AFM requires tip-sharpness, proximity and small
forces, but the cantilever dynamics might not allow these three conditions to
be met simultaneously. Hitherto, accepted dogma is that small drive amplitudes
lead to either tip trapping or L mode (attractive) imaging, where proximity is
inhibited. Here we show that the hydration layer might be responsible for
allowing the AFM tip to be brought stably within angstroms of the surface using
a small amplitude small set-point (SASS) mode. This phenomenon enhances
resolution and stability while dramatically reducing tip wear.
