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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
In this paper we focus on two experimental techniques for testing predictions made by Laplace-Kelvin theory (LKT). The first technique employs the surface forces apparatus (SFA) to measure pull-off forces, the second uses a beam bending (BB) technique to determine the bending forces in a microporous film produced with a sol-gel technique. We use density functional theory (DFT) to analyze the two experiments. We find that the pull-off force in a crossed cylinder geometery contains a minimal solid-liquid contribution, which can explain why the LKT result is found at saturation. We demonstrate that a pore size distribution essential to produce a bending stress that is always compressive and has a dependence on the vapor pressure that coincides with LKT.