I have synthesized through gold-thiol chemistry OH groups on an AFM cantilever and am unclear if the interaction forces I am measuring between the modified tip and silicon surface is expected? I have varied the rates, the area on the surface, and the RH environment from 20--> 60% RH, and still get similar interaction force values on the scale of uN. In comparison I get a much smaller force on the order of pN for a gold coated cantilever without functionalization with the same silicon surface. I expected the interactions to be opposite, any help in interpretation of this data would be much appreciated! Thanks!