This paper gives a brief introduction to basic principle and working mode of atomic force microscope (AFM). Sample preparation methods and factors that affect the AFM imaging of polysaccharide are described in detai...This paper gives a brief introduction to basic principle and working mode of atomic force microscope (AFM). Sample preparation methods and factors that affect the AFM imaging of polysaccharide are described in detail. Advance in using AFM for morphological observation and quantitative study on polysaccharide molecules are reviewed. Research on single molecule force spectroscopy of polysaccharide and determination and adjustment of conformational change of sugar residue are introduced. Perspective on further application of AFM in polysaccharide investigation is presented.展开更多
Two nonlinear control techniques are proposed for an atomic force microscopesystem. Initially, a learning-based control algorithm is developed for the microcantilever-samplesystem that achieves asymptotic cantilever t...Two nonlinear control techniques are proposed for an atomic force microscopesystem. Initially, a learning-based control algorithm is developed for the microcantilever-samplesystem that achieves asymptotic cantilever tip tracking for periodic trajectories. Specifically, thecontrol approach utilizes a learning-based feedforward term to compensate for periodic dynamics andhigh-gain terms to account for non-periodic dynamics. An adaptive control algorithm is thendeveloped to achieve asymptotic cantilever tip tracking for bounded tip trajectories despiteuncertainty throughout the system parameters. Simulation results are provided to illustrate theefficacy and performance of the control strategies.展开更多
To understand the deformation and removal mechanism of material on nano-scale at ultralow loads,a systemic study on AFM micro/nano-machining on single crystal ailicon is conducted. The results indicate that AFM nano- ...To understand the deformation and removal mechanism of material on nano-scale at ultralow loads,a systemic study on AFM micro/nano-machining on single crystal ailicon is conducted. The results indicate that AFM nano- machining has a precisely dimensional controllability and a good surface quality on nanometer scale.A SEM is adopted to observe nano-machined region and chips,the results indicate that the material removal mechanisms change with the applied normal load. An XPS is used to analyze the changes of chemical composition inside and outside the nano-machined region respectively.The nano-indentation which is conducted with the same AFM diamond tip on the machined region shows a big discrepancy compared with that on the macro-scale. The calculated results show higher nano-hardness and elastic modulus than normal values .This phenomenon on be regarded as the indentation size effect(ISE).展开更多
Diamond-like carbon (DLC) film composed of microscopically insulation but microscopically a mixture of conducting (sp2) and insulating (sp3) phases was discussed on the local modification with a conductive atomic forc...Diamond-like carbon (DLC) film composed of microscopically insulation but microscopically a mixture of conducting (sp2) and insulating (sp3) phases was discussed on the local modification with a conductive atomic force microscope (C-APM). Especially, a topographic change was observed when a direct current (DC) bias-voltage was applied to the DLC film. Experimental results show that a nanoscale pit on DLC surface was formed when applying a positive 25 V on DLC film. According to the interacting force between CoCr-coated microelectronic scanning probe (MESP) tip and DLC surface, as well as the Sondheimer oscillation theory, the 'scalewing effect' of the pit was explained. Electromechanical coupling on DLC film suggested that the depth of pits increased with an increase of load applied to surface when the cantilever-deflected signal was less than a certain threshold voltage.展开更多
An improved arc discharge method is developed to fabricate carbon nanotube probe of atomic force microscopy (AFM) here. First, silicon probe and carbon nanotube are manipulated under an optical microscope by two hig...An improved arc discharge method is developed to fabricate carbon nanotube probe of atomic force microscopy (AFM) here. First, silicon probe and carbon nanotube are manipulated under an optical microscope by two high precision microtranslators. When silicon probe and carbon nanotube are very close, several tens voltage is applied between them. And carbon nanotube is divided and attached to the end of silicon probe, which mainly due to the arc welding function. Comparing with the arc discharge method before, the new method here needs no coat silicon probe with metal film in advance, which can greatly reduce the fabrication's difficulty. The fabricated carbon nanotube probe shows good property of higher aspect ratio and can more accurately reflect the true topography of silicon grating than silicon probe. Under the same image drive force, carbon nanotube probe had less indentation depth on soft triblock copolymer sample than silicon probe. This showed that carbon nanotube probe has lower spring constant and less damage to the scan sample than silicon probe.展开更多
The AFM images were obtained by an atomic force microscope (AFM) and transformed from the deformation of AFM micro cantilever probe. However, due to the surface topography and surface forces applied on the AFM tip of ...The AFM images were obtained by an atomic force microscope (AFM) and transformed from the deformation of AFM micro cantilever probe. However, due to the surface topography and surface forces applied on the AFM tip of sample, the deformation of AFM probe results in obvious edge effects and coupling effects in the AFM images.The deformation of AFM probe was analyzed,the mechanism of the edge effects and the coupling effects was investigated, and their results in the AFM images were studied. It is demonstrated by the theoretical analysis and AFM experiments that the edge effects make lateral force images more clear than the topography images,also make extraction of frictional force from lateral force images more complex and difficult. While the coupling effects make the comparison between topography images and lateral force images more advantage to acquire precise topography information by AFM.展开更多
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to study the competitive adsorption betweenbovine serum albumin (BSA) and type Ⅰ collagen on hydrophilic and hydrophobic silicon wafers.BSA showed a grain shape and the type Ⅰ ...Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to study the competitive adsorption betweenbovine serum albumin (BSA) and type Ⅰ collagen on hydrophilic and hydrophobic silicon wafers.BSA showed a grain shape and the type Ⅰ collagen displayed fibril-like molecules with relativelyhomogeneous height and width, characterized with clear twisting (helical formation). These AFMimages illustrated that quite a lot of type Ⅰ collagen appeared in the adsorption layer on hydrophilicsurface in a competitive adsorption state, but the adsorption of BSA was more preponderant than thatof type Ⅰ collagen on hydrophobic silicon wafer surface. The experiments showed that theinfluence of BSA on type Ⅰ collagen adsorption on hydrophilic surface was less than that onhydrophobic surface.展开更多
With sol-gel method, nanometer La-Ti composite oxide was successfully prepared at a low temperature (750~800C) using polyethylene glycol as dispersant. By means of atomic force microscope, the surface pattern, partic...With sol-gel method, nanometer La-Ti composite oxide was successfully prepared at a low temperature (750~800C) using polyethylene glycol as dispersant. By means of atomic force microscope, the surface pattern, particle size distribution, and specific surface area were studied. The compound particle surface appears as a smooth sheet, the mean size of the compound is 25.38 nm. On the specific surface, the particle erects at a height of 4.69 nm. The surface area is 58.90 nm2. The La-Ti composite oxide nanocrystal prefers to narrow and even particle size distribution and the homogeneity of surface topography.展开更多
Additive manufacturing-also known as 3D printing-has attracted much attention in recent years as a powerful method for the simple and versatile fabrication of complicated three-dimensional structures.However,the curre...Additive manufacturing-also known as 3D printing-has attracted much attention in recent years as a powerful method for the simple and versatile fabrication of complicated three-dimensional structures.However,the current technology still exhibits a limitation in realizing the selective deposition and sorting of various materials contained in the same reservoir,which can contribute significantly to additive printing or manufacturing by enabling simultaneous sorting and deposition of different substances through a single nozzle.Here,we propose a dielectrophoresis(DEP)-based material-selective deposition and sorting technique using a pipette-based quartz tuning fork(QTF)-atomic force microscope(AFM) platform DEPQA and demonstrate multi-material sorting through a single nozzle in ambient conditions.We used Au and silica nanoparticles for sorting and obtained 95% accuracy for spatial separation,which confirmed the surfaceenhanced Raman spectroscopy(SERS).To validate the scheme,we also performed a simulation for the system and found qualitative agreement with the experimental results.The method that combines DEP,pipette-based AFM,and SERS may widely expand the unique capabilities of 3D printing and nano-micro patterning for multi-material patterning,materials sorting,and diverse advanced applications.展开更多
Three kinds of titanium surface especially the HA surface are analyzed. Titanium was treated by 3 kinds of methods that were acid & alkali, calcic solution and apathe solution. Samples were observed by optic micros...Three kinds of titanium surface especially the HA surface are analyzed. Titanium was treated by 3 kinds of methods that were acid & alkali, calcic solution and apathe solution. Samples were observed by optic microscope and atomic force microscope ( AFM ) . The typical surface morphology of the acid and alkali group is little holes, and on the two HA surface the tiny protuberances is typical. The surface treated by apatite solution was smoother than the two formers. The rough surface treated with acid and alkali was propitious to Ca^+ , P^- and proteins' adhesion, and the relatively smooth HA surface was of benefit to the cell adhesion.展开更多
In this paper, three different tips are employed, i.e., the carbon nanotube tip, monocrystalline silicon tip and silicon nitride tip. Resorting to atomic force microscope (AFM), they are used for measuring the surfa...In this paper, three different tips are employed, i.e., the carbon nanotube tip, monocrystalline silicon tip and silicon nitride tip. Resorting to atomic force microscope (AFM), they are used for measuring the surface roughness of indium tin oxide (ITO) film and the immunoglobulin G (IgG) proteins within the scanning area of 10 μm×10 μm and 0.5 μm×0.5 μm, respectively. Subsequently, the scanned surface of the ITO film and IgG proteins are analyzed by using fractal dimension. The results show that the ffactal dimension measured by carbon nanotube tip is biggest with the highest frequency components and the most microscopic information. Therefore, the carbon nanotube tip is the ideal measuring tool for measuring super-smooth surface, which will play a more and more important role in the high-resolution imaging field.展开更多
The dissipation of energy during the process of contact and separation between a tip and a sample is very important for understanding the phase images in the tapping mode of atomic force microscopes(AFMs). In this s...The dissipation of energy during the process of contact and separation between a tip and a sample is very important for understanding the phase images in the tapping mode of atomic force microscopes(AFMs). In this study, a method is presented to measure the dissipated energy between a tip and a sample. The experimental results are found to be in good agreement with the theoretical model, which indicates that the method is reliable.Also, this study confirms that liquid bridges are mainly produced by extrusion modes in the tapping mode of AFMs.展开更多
Objective: To study the effects of Astragalus polysaccharide (APS), the primary effective component of the Chinese herb medicine Astragalus membranaceus (frequently used for its anti-hepatic fibrosis effects), on...Objective: To study the effects of Astragalus polysaccharide (APS), the primary effective component of the Chinese herb medicine Astragalus membranaceus (frequently used for its anti-hepatic fibrosis effects), on nanoscale mechanical properties of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs). Methods: Using endothelial cell medium as the control, 5 experimental groups were established utilizing different concentrations of APS, i.e. 12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 200μg/mL. By using atomic force microscopy along with a microcantilever modified with a silicon dioxide microsphere as powerful tools, the value of Young's modulus in each group was calculated. SAS 9.1 software was applied to analyze the values of Young's modulus at the pressed depth of 300 nm. Environmental scanning electron microscopy was performed to observe the surface microtopography of the SECs. Results: The value of Young's modulus in each APS experimental group was significantly greater than that of the control group: as APS concentration increased, the value of Young's modulus presented as an increasing trend. The difference between the low-concentration (12.5 and 25 μg/mL) and high-concentration (200μg/mL) groups was statistically significant (P〈0.05), but no significant differences were observed between moderate-concentration (50 and 100μg/mL) groups versus low- or high-concentration groups (P〉0.05). Surface topography demonstrated that APS was capable of increasing the total area of fenestrae. Conclusions: The values of Young's modulus increased along with increasing concentrations of APS, suggesting that the stiffness of SECs increases gradually as a function of APS concentration. The observed changes in SEC mechanical properties may provide a new avenue for mechanistic rasearch of anti-hepatic fibrosis treatments in Chinese medicine.展开更多
Working with a biased atomic force microscope(AFM)tip in the tapping mode under ambient atmosphere,attoliter(10^(-18) L)water droplet patterns have been generated on a patterned carbonaceous surface.This is essentiall...Working with a biased atomic force microscope(AFM)tip in the tapping mode under ambient atmosphere,attoliter(10^(-18) L)water droplet patterns have been generated on a patterned carbonaceous surface.This is essentially electrocondensation of water leading to charged droplets,as evidenced from electrostatic force microscopy measurements.The droplets are unusual in that they exhibit a highly corrugated surface and evaporate rather slowly,taking several tens of minutes.展开更多
The atomic force microscope has become an established research tool for imaging microorganisms with unprecedented resolution.However,its use in microbiology has been limited by the difficulty of proper bacterial immob...The atomic force microscope has become an established research tool for imaging microorganisms with unprecedented resolution.However,its use in microbiology has been limited by the difficulty of proper bacterial immobilization.Here,we have developed a microfluidic device that solves the issue of bacterial immobilization for atomic force microscopy under physiological conditions.Our device is able to rapidly immobilize bacteria in well-defined positions and subsequently release the cells for quick sample exchange.The developed device also allows simultaneous fluorescence analysis to assess the bacterial viability during atomic force microscope imaging.We demonstrated the potential of our approach for the immobilization of rod-shaped Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis.Using our device,we observed buffer-dependent morphological changes of the bacterial envelope mediated by the antimicrobial peptide CM15.Our approach to bacterial immobilization makes sample preparation much simpler and more reliable,thereby accelerating atomic force microscopy studies at the single-cell level.展开更多
The visualization of the surface of biological samples using an atomic force microscope reveals features of the external relief and can resolve very fine and detailed features of the surface.We examined specimens from...The visualization of the surface of biological samples using an atomic force microscope reveals features of the external relief and can resolve very fine and detailed features of the surface.We examined specimens from the skin of the amphibians Salamandra salamandra Linnaeus,1758,Lyciasalamandra luschani basoglui Baran&Atatür,1980 and Mesotriton alpestris Laurenti,1768,and from the surface of pollen grains of the plant species Cyclamen graecum Link,1835 and Cistus salviifolius Linnaeus,1753,which exhibit certain interesting features,imaged at the nanoscale level.It is likely that the relief influences the attributes of the interfaces between the tissues and the environment.We found that the microsculpture increases in size the surface of the examined tissues and this might be particularly important for their performance in the field.Microsculpturing of amphibians’skin may affect water regulation,dehydration and rehydration,and cutaneous gas exchange.Pollen grain relief might affect the firmness of the contact between pollen surface and water droplets.High resolution imaging of the external relief showed that roughening might induce wetting and influence the water status of the specimens.In addition,roughness affects the radius of water droplets retained in between the projections of the external relief.Roughness of the tissues was highly correlated with their vertical distance,whereas surface distances were highly correlated with horizontal distances.By enabling a more detailed characterization of the external sculptures,through sophisticated techniques,a more comprehensive examination of the samples indicates similarities among different living tissues,originated from different kingdoms,which can be attributed to environmental conditions and physiological circumstances.展开更多
Atomic force microscopy(AFM)is a widely adopted imaging and surface analysis technique that provides resolutions on the nanometer scale.AFM tip-based nanomachining has recently been adopted for the fabrication of arbi...Atomic force microscopy(AFM)is a widely adopted imaging and surface analysis technique that provides resolutions on the nanometer scale.AFM tip-based nanomachining has recently been adopted for the fabrication of arbitrarily shaped nanoscale structures.A major challenge of using AFM tip-based machining for the sculpting of nanoscale plasmonic structures is the build-up of displaced material along the sides of the channels.Here we apply this nanomechanical machining method to create active plasmonic elements and present the strategy we have been using to avoid the formation of such debris.Furthermore,a number of post-manufacturing treatments that can potentially be used to reduce the amount of debris surrounding the fabricated structures are discussed.展开更多
Atomic force microscope(AFM) was used to investigate the arrangement of cellulose microfibrils (CMF) in Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) fibers. Two methods of sample preparation were used here for different purp...Atomic force microscope(AFM) was used to investigate the arrangement of cellulose microfibrils (CMF) in Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) fibers. Two methods of sample preparation were used here for different purposes. The first method was chemical maceration with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and glacial acetic acid, through which the obtained fibers were suitable for observing the orientation of CMF in the primary wal1. The other method was to prepare tangential microtomed sections with a thickness of approximately 30 μm, which was used to investigate the arrangement of CMF in the inner wall of cell cavity of bamboo fibers. The results indicated that the CMF are randomly oriented in the primary wall while in the inner wall of cell cavity they are nearly vertical to the long axis of fibers , which is similar to the arrangement of CMF in the corresponding layer of wood fibers. Meanwhile, the highly oriented arrangement of CMF is also observed in a certain layer of bamboo fibers, though it is incapable of determining which layer it is in this study. The pilot investigation demonstrates that AFM is a powerful tool for the high-resolution observation of CMF in bamboo fibers, meanwhile it has the advantages of simple procedure of sample preparation and easy operation compared to the traditional transmission electron microscopy.展开更多
Traditional technique such nanoindenter(NI) can't measure the local elastic modulus at nano-scale(lateral). Atomic force acoustic microscopy (AFAM) is a dynamic method, which can quantitatively determine indent...Traditional technique such nanoindenter(NI) can't measure the local elastic modulus at nano-scale(lateral). Atomic force acoustic microscopy (AFAM) is a dynamic method, which can quantitatively determine indentation modulus by measuring the contact resonance spectra for high order modes of the cantilever. But there are few reports on the effect of experimental factors, such length of cantilever, contact stiffness on measured value. For three different samples, including copper(Cu) film with 110 nm thickness, zinc(Zn) film of 90 nm thickness and glass slides, are prepared and tested, using referencing approach in which measurements are performed on the test and reference samples (it's elastic modulus is known), and their contact resonance spectra are measured used the AFAM system experimentally. According to the vibration theory, from the lowest two contact resonance frequencies, the tip-sample contact stiffness is calculated, and then the values for the elastic properties of test sample, such as the indentation modulus, are determined. Using AFAM system, the measured indentation modulus of copper nano-film, zinc nano-film and glass slides are 113.53 GPa, 87.92 GPa and 57.04 GPa, which are agreement with literature values Mcu--105-130 GPa, Mzn = 88.44 GPa and Molass = 50-90 GPa. Furthermore, the sensitivity of contact resonance frequency to contact stiffness is analyzed theoretically. The results show that for the cantilevers with the length 160 pm, 225 μm and 520 μm respectively, when contact stiffness increases from 400 N/m to 600 N/m, the increments of first contact resonance frequency are 126 kHz, 93 kHz and 0.6 kHz, which show that the sensitivity of the contact resonance frequency to the contact stiffness reduces with the length of cantilever increasing. The novel method presented can characterize elastic modulus of near surface for nano-film and bulk material, and local elasticity of near surface can be evaluated by optimizing the experimental parameters using the AFAM system.展开更多
基金suppoted by the National High-Tech Research and Development Program of China(2002AA2Z4181)
文摘This paper gives a brief introduction to basic principle and working mode of atomic force microscope (AFM). Sample preparation methods and factors that affect the AFM imaging of polysaccharide are described in detail. Advance in using AFM for morphological observation and quantitative study on polysaccharide molecules are reviewed. Research on single molecule force spectroscopy of polysaccharide and determination and adjustment of conformational change of sugar residue are introduced. Perspective on further application of AFM in polysaccharide investigation is presented.
文摘Two nonlinear control techniques are proposed for an atomic force microscopesystem. Initially, a learning-based control algorithm is developed for the microcantilever-samplesystem that achieves asymptotic cantilever tip tracking for periodic trajectories. Specifically, thecontrol approach utilizes a learning-based feedforward term to compensate for periodic dynamics andhigh-gain terms to account for non-periodic dynamics. An adaptive control algorithm is thendeveloped to achieve asymptotic cantilever tip tracking for bounded tip trajectories despiteuncertainty throughout the system parameters. Simulation results are provided to illustrate theefficacy and performance of the control strategies.
基金This project is supported by National Natural ScienceFoundation of China (No.59835180) and Science andTechnology Foundatio
文摘To understand the deformation and removal mechanism of material on nano-scale at ultralow loads,a systemic study on AFM micro/nano-machining on single crystal ailicon is conducted. The results indicate that AFM nano- machining has a precisely dimensional controllability and a good surface quality on nanometer scale.A SEM is adopted to observe nano-machined region and chips,the results indicate that the material removal mechanisms change with the applied normal load. An XPS is used to analyze the changes of chemical composition inside and outside the nano-machined region respectively.The nano-indentation which is conducted with the same AFM diamond tip on the machined region shows a big discrepancy compared with that on the macro-scale. The calculated results show higher nano-hardness and elastic modulus than normal values .This phenomenon on be regarded as the indentation size effect(ISE).
基金The project supported by the Special Fund and Open Foundation of Micro/Nano Technology Center of Jiangsu University (No. 1291400001)
文摘Diamond-like carbon (DLC) film composed of microscopically insulation but microscopically a mixture of conducting (sp2) and insulating (sp3) phases was discussed on the local modification with a conductive atomic force microscope (C-APM). Especially, a topographic change was observed when a direct current (DC) bias-voltage was applied to the DLC film. Experimental results show that a nanoscale pit on DLC surface was formed when applying a positive 25 V on DLC film. According to the interacting force between CoCr-coated microelectronic scanning probe (MESP) tip and DLC surface, as well as the Sondheimer oscillation theory, the 'scalewing effect' of the pit was explained. Electromechanical coupling on DLC film suggested that the depth of pits increased with an increase of load applied to surface when the cantilever-deflected signal was less than a certain threshold voltage.
基金This project is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.50205006).
文摘An improved arc discharge method is developed to fabricate carbon nanotube probe of atomic force microscopy (AFM) here. First, silicon probe and carbon nanotube are manipulated under an optical microscope by two high precision microtranslators. When silicon probe and carbon nanotube are very close, several tens voltage is applied between them. And carbon nanotube is divided and attached to the end of silicon probe, which mainly due to the arc welding function. Comparing with the arc discharge method before, the new method here needs no coat silicon probe with metal film in advance, which can greatly reduce the fabrication's difficulty. The fabricated carbon nanotube probe shows good property of higher aspect ratio and can more accurately reflect the true topography of silicon grating than silicon probe. Under the same image drive force, carbon nanotube probe had less indentation depth on soft triblock copolymer sample than silicon probe. This showed that carbon nanotube probe has lower spring constant and less damage to the scan sample than silicon probe.
文摘The AFM images were obtained by an atomic force microscope (AFM) and transformed from the deformation of AFM micro cantilever probe. However, due to the surface topography and surface forces applied on the AFM tip of sample, the deformation of AFM probe results in obvious edge effects and coupling effects in the AFM images.The deformation of AFM probe was analyzed,the mechanism of the edge effects and the coupling effects was investigated, and their results in the AFM images were studied. It is demonstrated by the theoretical analysis and AFM experiments that the edge effects make lateral force images more clear than the topography images,also make extraction of frictional force from lateral force images more complex and difficult. While the coupling effects make the comparison between topography images and lateral force images more advantage to acquire precise topography information by AFM.
文摘Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to study the competitive adsorption betweenbovine serum albumin (BSA) and type Ⅰ collagen on hydrophilic and hydrophobic silicon wafers.BSA showed a grain shape and the type Ⅰ collagen displayed fibril-like molecules with relativelyhomogeneous height and width, characterized with clear twisting (helical formation). These AFMimages illustrated that quite a lot of type Ⅰ collagen appeared in the adsorption layer on hydrophilicsurface in a competitive adsorption state, but the adsorption of BSA was more preponderant than thatof type Ⅰ collagen on hydrophobic silicon wafer surface. The experiments showed that theinfluence of BSA on type Ⅰ collagen adsorption on hydrophilic surface was less than that onhydrophobic surface.
基金This project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (1972003).
文摘With sol-gel method, nanometer La-Ti composite oxide was successfully prepared at a low temperature (750~800C) using polyethylene glycol as dispersant. By means of atomic force microscope, the surface pattern, particle size distribution, and specific surface area were studied. The compound particle surface appears as a smooth sheet, the mean size of the compound is 25.38 nm. On the specific surface, the particle erects at a height of 4.69 nm. The surface area is 58.90 nm2. The La-Ti composite oxide nanocrystal prefers to narrow and even particle size distribution and the homogeneity of surface topography.
基金Open access funding provided by Shanghai Jiao Tong University。
文摘Additive manufacturing-also known as 3D printing-has attracted much attention in recent years as a powerful method for the simple and versatile fabrication of complicated three-dimensional structures.However,the current technology still exhibits a limitation in realizing the selective deposition and sorting of various materials contained in the same reservoir,which can contribute significantly to additive printing or manufacturing by enabling simultaneous sorting and deposition of different substances through a single nozzle.Here,we propose a dielectrophoresis(DEP)-based material-selective deposition and sorting technique using a pipette-based quartz tuning fork(QTF)-atomic force microscope(AFM) platform DEPQA and demonstrate multi-material sorting through a single nozzle in ambient conditions.We used Au and silica nanoparticles for sorting and obtained 95% accuracy for spatial separation,which confirmed the surfaceenhanced Raman spectroscopy(SERS).To validate the scheme,we also performed a simulation for the system and found qualitative agreement with the experimental results.The method that combines DEP,pipette-based AFM,and SERS may widely expand the unique capabilities of 3D printing and nano-micro patterning for multi-material patterning,materials sorting,and diverse advanced applications.
文摘Three kinds of titanium surface especially the HA surface are analyzed. Titanium was treated by 3 kinds of methods that were acid & alkali, calcic solution and apathe solution. Samples were observed by optic microscope and atomic force microscope ( AFM ) . The typical surface morphology of the acid and alkali group is little holes, and on the two HA surface the tiny protuberances is typical. The surface treated by apatite solution was smoother than the two formers. The rough surface treated with acid and alkali was propitious to Ca^+ , P^- and proteins' adhesion, and the relatively smooth HA surface was of benefit to the cell adhesion.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.50605012).
文摘In this paper, three different tips are employed, i.e., the carbon nanotube tip, monocrystalline silicon tip and silicon nitride tip. Resorting to atomic force microscope (AFM), they are used for measuring the surface roughness of indium tin oxide (ITO) film and the immunoglobulin G (IgG) proteins within the scanning area of 10 μm×10 μm and 0.5 μm×0.5 μm, respectively. Subsequently, the scanned surface of the ITO film and IgG proteins are analyzed by using fractal dimension. The results show that the ffactal dimension measured by carbon nanotube tip is biggest with the highest frequency components and the most microscopic information. Therefore, the carbon nanotube tip is the ideal measuring tool for measuring super-smooth surface, which will play a more and more important role in the high-resolution imaging field.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos 11572031 and 11642013the Opening Fund of State Key Laboratory of Nonlinear Mechanics
文摘The dissipation of energy during the process of contact and separation between a tip and a sample is very important for understanding the phase images in the tapping mode of atomic force microscopes(AFMs). In this study, a method is presented to measure the dissipated energy between a tip and a sample. The experimental results are found to be in good agreement with the theoretical model, which indicates that the method is reliable.Also, this study confirms that liquid bridges are mainly produced by extrusion modes in the tapping mode of AFMs.
基金Supported by WANG Bao-en Fibrosis Research Fund of China Foundation for Hepatitis Prevention and Control(No.20120147)Beijing Natural Science Foundation(No.7172187)Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by China Association for Science and Technology(No.2016QNRC001)
文摘Objective: To study the effects of Astragalus polysaccharide (APS), the primary effective component of the Chinese herb medicine Astragalus membranaceus (frequently used for its anti-hepatic fibrosis effects), on nanoscale mechanical properties of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs). Methods: Using endothelial cell medium as the control, 5 experimental groups were established utilizing different concentrations of APS, i.e. 12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 200μg/mL. By using atomic force microscopy along with a microcantilever modified with a silicon dioxide microsphere as powerful tools, the value of Young's modulus in each group was calculated. SAS 9.1 software was applied to analyze the values of Young's modulus at the pressed depth of 300 nm. Environmental scanning electron microscopy was performed to observe the surface microtopography of the SECs. Results: The value of Young's modulus in each APS experimental group was significantly greater than that of the control group: as APS concentration increased, the value of Young's modulus presented as an increasing trend. The difference between the low-concentration (12.5 and 25 μg/mL) and high-concentration (200μg/mL) groups was statistically significant (P〈0.05), but no significant differences were observed between moderate-concentration (50 and 100μg/mL) groups versus low- or high-concentration groups (P〉0.05). Surface topography demonstrated that APS was capable of increasing the total area of fenestrae. Conclusions: The values of Young's modulus increased along with increasing concentrations of APS, suggesting that the stiffness of SECs increases gradually as a function of APS concentration. The observed changes in SEC mechanical properties may provide a new avenue for mechanistic rasearch of anti-hepatic fibrosis treatments in Chinese medicine.
基金The authors thank Professor C.N.R.Rao,Fellow of Royal Society(FRS)for his encouragement.Support from the Department of Science and Technology,Government of India is gratefully acknowledged.N.K.acknowledges Council of Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR)for funding.N.K.acknowledges Ritu for reading the manuscript.The authors thank Veeco India Nano-technology Laboratory at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research(JNCASR)for the AFM facility.A.S.acknowledges INDO-US Science&Technology Forum(IUSSTF)for funding.
文摘Working with a biased atomic force microscope(AFM)tip in the tapping mode under ambient atmosphere,attoliter(10^(-18) L)water droplet patterns have been generated on a patterned carbonaceous surface.This is essentially electrocondensation of water leading to charged droplets,as evidenced from electrostatic force microscopy measurements.The droplets are unusual in that they exhibit a highly corrugated surface and evaporate rather slowly,taking several tens of minutes.
基金This work was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (Nos.205321_134786, 205320_152675), and by the European Union FP7/2007-2013/ERC under Grant Agreement No. 307338-NaMic, and Eurostars E!8213.
文摘The atomic force microscope has become an established research tool for imaging microorganisms with unprecedented resolution.However,its use in microbiology has been limited by the difficulty of proper bacterial immobilization.Here,we have developed a microfluidic device that solves the issue of bacterial immobilization for atomic force microscopy under physiological conditions.Our device is able to rapidly immobilize bacteria in well-defined positions and subsequently release the cells for quick sample exchange.The developed device also allows simultaneous fluorescence analysis to assess the bacterial viability during atomic force microscope imaging.We demonstrated the potential of our approach for the immobilization of rod-shaped Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis.Using our device,we observed buffer-dependent morphological changes of the bacterial envelope mediated by the antimicrobial peptide CM15.Our approach to bacterial immobilization makes sample preparation much simpler and more reliable,thereby accelerating atomic force microscopy studies at the single-cell level.
基金Research with pollen samples was financially funded by a project Pyrthagoras II(8036)to S.R.
文摘The visualization of the surface of biological samples using an atomic force microscope reveals features of the external relief and can resolve very fine and detailed features of the surface.We examined specimens from the skin of the amphibians Salamandra salamandra Linnaeus,1758,Lyciasalamandra luschani basoglui Baran&Atatür,1980 and Mesotriton alpestris Laurenti,1768,and from the surface of pollen grains of the plant species Cyclamen graecum Link,1835 and Cistus salviifolius Linnaeus,1753,which exhibit certain interesting features,imaged at the nanoscale level.It is likely that the relief influences the attributes of the interfaces between the tissues and the environment.We found that the microsculpture increases in size the surface of the examined tissues and this might be particularly important for their performance in the field.Microsculpturing of amphibians’skin may affect water regulation,dehydration and rehydration,and cutaneous gas exchange.Pollen grain relief might affect the firmness of the contact between pollen surface and water droplets.High resolution imaging of the external relief showed that roughening might induce wetting and influence the water status of the specimens.In addition,roughness affects the radius of water droplets retained in between the projections of the external relief.Roughness of the tissues was highly correlated with their vertical distance,whereas surface distances were highly correlated with horizontal distances.By enabling a more detailed characterization of the external sculptures,through sophisticated techniques,a more comprehensive examination of the samples indicates similarities among different living tissues,originated from different kingdoms,which can be attributed to environmental conditions and physiological circumstances.
基金Funding was provided by Science Foundation Ireland(Grant No.SFI 18/FIP/3551R).
文摘Atomic force microscopy(AFM)is a widely adopted imaging and surface analysis technique that provides resolutions on the nanometer scale.AFM tip-based nanomachining has recently been adopted for the fabrication of arbitrarily shaped nanoscale structures.A major challenge of using AFM tip-based machining for the sculpting of nanoscale plasmonic structures is the build-up of displaced material along the sides of the channels.Here we apply this nanomechanical machining method to create active plasmonic elements and present the strategy we have been using to avoid the formation of such debris.Furthermore,a number of post-manufacturing treatments that can potentially be used to reduce the amount of debris surrounding the fabricated structures are discussed.
基金Supported by the "948" Project of the State Forestry Administration (2002-45)the National Natural Science Foundation Project(30400337)the Key Project of Science & Technology Supporting Programs Funded by China during the 11th Five-year Plan(2006BAD19B0402)
文摘Atomic force microscope(AFM) was used to investigate the arrangement of cellulose microfibrils (CMF) in Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) fibers. Two methods of sample preparation were used here for different purposes. The first method was chemical maceration with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and glacial acetic acid, through which the obtained fibers were suitable for observing the orientation of CMF in the primary wal1. The other method was to prepare tangential microtomed sections with a thickness of approximately 30 μm, which was used to investigate the arrangement of CMF in the inner wall of cell cavity of bamboo fibers. The results indicated that the CMF are randomly oriented in the primary wall while in the inner wall of cell cavity they are nearly vertical to the long axis of fibers , which is similar to the arrangement of CMF in the corresponding layer of wood fibers. Meanwhile, the highly oriented arrangement of CMF is also observed in a certain layer of bamboo fibers, though it is incapable of determining which layer it is in this study. The pilot investigation demonstrates that AFM is a powerful tool for the high-resolution observation of CMF in bamboo fibers, meanwhile it has the advantages of simple procedure of sample preparation and easy operation compared to the traditional transmission electron microscopy.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No. 50775005)General Program of Science and Technology Development Project of Beijing Municipal Education Commission(Grant No. KM201110015009)
文摘Traditional technique such nanoindenter(NI) can't measure the local elastic modulus at nano-scale(lateral). Atomic force acoustic microscopy (AFAM) is a dynamic method, which can quantitatively determine indentation modulus by measuring the contact resonance spectra for high order modes of the cantilever. But there are few reports on the effect of experimental factors, such length of cantilever, contact stiffness on measured value. For three different samples, including copper(Cu) film with 110 nm thickness, zinc(Zn) film of 90 nm thickness and glass slides, are prepared and tested, using referencing approach in which measurements are performed on the test and reference samples (it's elastic modulus is known), and their contact resonance spectra are measured used the AFAM system experimentally. According to the vibration theory, from the lowest two contact resonance frequencies, the tip-sample contact stiffness is calculated, and then the values for the elastic properties of test sample, such as the indentation modulus, are determined. Using AFAM system, the measured indentation modulus of copper nano-film, zinc nano-film and glass slides are 113.53 GPa, 87.92 GPa and 57.04 GPa, which are agreement with literature values Mcu--105-130 GPa, Mzn = 88.44 GPa and Molass = 50-90 GPa. Furthermore, the sensitivity of contact resonance frequency to contact stiffness is analyzed theoretically. The results show that for the cantilevers with the length 160 pm, 225 μm and 520 μm respectively, when contact stiffness increases from 400 N/m to 600 N/m, the increments of first contact resonance frequency are 126 kHz, 93 kHz and 0.6 kHz, which show that the sensitivity of the contact resonance frequency to the contact stiffness reduces with the length of cantilever increasing. The novel method presented can characterize elastic modulus of near surface for nano-film and bulk material, and local elasticity of near surface can be evaluated by optimizing the experimental parameters using the AFAM system.