Apr. 29, 2013

New Imaging Technology Could Reveal Cellular Secrets

Researchers have married two biological imaging technologies, creating a new way to learn how good cells go bad. "Let's say you have a large population of cells," said Corey Neu, an assistant professor in Purdue University's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. "Just one of them might metastasize or proliferate, forming a cancerous tumor. We need to understand what it is that gives rise to that one bad cell."
moreApr. 02, 2013

Molecularly Resolved Cellulose Nitrate

The development of nanostructured lacquers and propellants needs to master the cellulose nitrate processing on the nanoscale. The challenge is the deposition of single cellulose nitrate molecules to image them with molecular resolution. We report on the effect of solvent, shaking duration and deposition techniques, from which the spray technique succeeded, for the first time to our knowledge, to image by Atomic Force Microscopy, individual molecular cellulose nitrate polymeric chains.
moreFeb. 26, 2013

Fractal Dimension and Entropy of Biological Membrane

Complexity of cell membrane poses difficulties to quantify corresponding morphology changes during cell life. To quantify it, we present an evaluation of entropy and fractal dimension of macrophage membranes from Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) images before and after treatment with microtubule destabilizing or stabilizing agents. We show that entropy and fractal dimension are sensitive to the weak micromorphology changes produced by small concentrations and incubation times of these treatments.
moreJan. 03, 2013

“Trolling”-Mode Atomic Force Microscopy

Imaging biological materials is one of the main branches of biomedical engineering. Particularly, imaging living cells at the single-cell level is highly important for fundamental understanding of cell behavior and its interaction with the extracellular matrix. The resolution of commonly used optical microscopy is limited by diffraction of light to ~200 nm. However, the major elements of the cell membrane such as transmembrane proteins, ion channels, cell adhesion proteins etc. are essentially nanostructures, which cannot be resolved with optical microscopy. moreDec. 17, 2012

Carbon Nanotubes as Ideal AFM Probes

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) have been demonstrated since 1996 as ideal probes for scanning probe methods because of their nano-size, their cylinder geometry and their mechanical properties. Their use hasn‘t spread out as expected, due to lack of control of their fabrication and of their interaction with surfaces. Sixteen years later, this knowledge is now acquired. Carbon nanotube probes can provide more than high resolution thanks to their high mechanical and chemical stability and surface sensitivity.
moreDec. 12, 2012

Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center Uses AFM Force Spectroscopy to Work at the Interface Between ...

The group of Dr Rikke Meyer from the interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO) at Aarhus University, Denmark has used AFM and single-cell force spectroscopy to work at the interface between microbiology and nanoscience in the quest to understand how bacteria form biofilms and how this may be prevented. moreDec. 06, 2012

Supported Phospholipid Bilayers

Solid supported phospholipid bilayers (SPB) formed by fusion of small unilamellar vesicles on glass, quartz and mica surfaces constitute an attractive model for studying lipid membrane properties and functions. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms of SPB formation under different experimental ­conditions. In situ atomic force microscopy imaging can reveal the details of this process. Introduction moreNov. 30, 2012

Bruker Introduces AFM Zoom Option for 3D Optical Microscopes

Bruker Nano Surfaces Division has introduced NanoLens Atomic Force Microscope accessory for ContourGT 3D optical microscopes. moreNov. 29, 2012

IRIS TERS Probes: Nondestructive and Label-free Chemical Detection at the Nanoscale

Bruker Nano Surfaces Division has announced the release of IRIS TERS Probes. By enabling Tip- Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (TERS), the IRIS TERS Probes provide users a complete path to nondestructive, label-free chemical detection at the nanoscale. moreNov. 22, 2012

Imaging of Mechanical Properties of Soft Matter

In recent years the atomic force microscope (AFM) has evolved from a high resolution imaging tool to an enabling platform for physical studies at the nanoscale including quantitative mapping of mechanical characteristics of surfaces providing simultaneous topography and mechanical property maps across the length scales. In the work presented here peak force tapping AFM was utilized to elaborate the nanoscale mechanical performance of phase separated polyurethanes (PUs) and the mechanical properties of lysozyme molecules adsorbed to mica substrates. more