Surface force induced by a point charge in multilayered dielectrics

•Provided rigorous formulation for calculating the electrostatic surface force.•Determined dimensionless governing parameters and their influence on surface force.•Suggested how the direction, magnitude and distribution of the surface force may be modulated.

Local surface force density and total force induced by a point charge embedded in a three-layered dielectric system are calculated. The two ratios between the dielectric constants of the three layers are found to play a primary role: they determine the direction of the surface force density and total force, as well as distribution of the surface force density, which can vary monotonically or non-monotonically with the radial position. The position of the charge, however, only affects the magnitude of the forces. The formulation can be extended to establish a theoretical framework for situations involving a distribution of charges.