Single-molecule cut-and-paste surface assembly

We introduce a method for the bottom-up assembly of biomolecular structures that combines the precision of the atomic force microscope (AFM) with the selectivity of DNA hybridization. Functional units coupled to DNA oligomers were picked up from a depot area by means of a complementary DNA strand bound to an AFM tip. These units were transferred to and deposited on a target area to create basic geometrical structures, assembled from units with different functions. Each of these cut-and-paste events was characterized by single-molecule force spectroscopy and single-molecule fluorescence microscopy. Transport and deposition of more than 5000 units were achieved, with less than 10% loss in transfer efficiency.     

"Dip-Pen" nanolithography

A direct-write "dip-pen" nanolithography (DPN) has been developed to deliver collections of molecules in a positive printing mode. An atomic force microscope (AFM) tip is used to write alkanethiols with 30-nanometer linewidth resolution on a gold thin film in a manner analogous to that of a dip pen. Molecules are delivered from the AFM tip to a solid substrate of interest via capillary transport, making DPN a potentially useful tool for creating and functionalizing nanoscale devices.     

Machining oxide thin films with an atomic force microscope: pattern and object formation on the nanometer scale

An atomic force microscope (AFM) has been used to machine complex patterns and to form free structural objects in thin layers of MoO(3) grown on the surface of MoS(2). The AFM tip can pattern lines with 相似文献   

Imaging and manipulating molecules on a zeolite surface with an atomic force microscope

The adsorption of neutral molecules and ions on the surfaces of zeolites was observed in real time with an atomic force microscope (AFM). Direct imaging of the surface of the zeolite clinoptilolite was possible by using a diluted tert-butyl ammonium chloride solution as a medium. Images of the crystal in different liquids revealed that molecules could be bound to the surface in different ways; neutral molecules of tert-butanol formed an ordered array, whereas tert-butyl ammonium ions formed clusters. These absorbed molecules were not rearranged by the AFM tip when used in an imaging mode. However, when a sufficiently large force was applied, the tip of the AFM could rearrange the tert-butyl ammonium ions on the zeolite surface. This demonstration of molecular manipulation suggests new applications, including biosensors and lithography.     

How strong is a covalent bond?

The rupture force of single covalent bonds under an external load was measured with an atomic force microscope (AFM). Single polysaccharide molecules were covalently anchored between a surface and an AFM tip and then stretched until they became detached. By using different surface chemistries for the attachment, it was found that the silicon-carbon bond ruptured at 2.0 +/- 0.3 nanonewtons, whereas the sulfur-gold anchor ruptured at 1.4 +/- 0.3 nanonewtons at force-loading rates of 10 nanonewtons per second. Bond rupture probability calculations that were based on density functional theory corroborate the measured values.     

Atomic force microscopy and dissection of gap junctions

An atomic force microscope (AFM) was used to study the structure of isolated hepatic gap junctions in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). The thickness of these gap junctions appears to be 14.4 nanometers, close to the dimensions reported by electron microscopy (EM). When an increasing force is applied to the microscope tip, the top membrane of the gap junction can be "dissected" away, leaving the extracellular domains of the bottom membrane exposed. When such "force dissection" is performed on samples both trypsinized and fixed with glutaraldehyde, the hexagonal array of gap junction hemichannels is revealed, with a center-to-center spacing of 9.1 nanometers.     

生物素化DNA与链霉亲和素绑定初步研究

将生物素标记的DNA与链霉亲和素(streptavidin,STV)按4∶1摩尔比连接,用原子力显微镜(atomic force microscope,AFM)对混合物表征,观察到所有可能的几种DNA-STV复合物。并按照不同摩尔浓度比和孵育时间配制DNA与STV混合液,探讨了影响结合效率的因素,初步得到用生物素-链霉亲和素系统批量制备1STV-1DNA单分子复合物的最佳制备条件,为未来单分子DNA的大规模快速制备奠定了基础。     

原子力显微镜在畜牧业中的应用前景

原子力显微镜(Aromic force microscope,AFM)是观察样品表面结构的一种新工具,能够检测样品 之间的相互作用力,在生理条件下对样品进行实时观察。文章对AFM的工作原理及其近年来在畜牧业研究领域中 的应用现状进行了综述,并展望了AFM在畜牧业领域中的应用前景。     

原子力显微镜技术在多糖研究中的应用

简单介绍了原子力显微镜（AFM）的原理和工作模式,详细叙述了利用AFM研究多糖时的样品制备方法及影响成像的因素,并综述了AFM在多糖分子的形态观察和定量研究方面的进展,介绍了AFM在研究多糖单分子力学谱方面的工作和AFM对糖基构象变化过程的测定和调控,还对AFM在多糖研究中的进一步应用提出了展望。     

Application of Atomic Force Microscopy in the Study of Polysaccharide

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.     

Imaging crystals, polymers, and processes in water with the atomic force microscope

The atomic force microscope (AFM) can be used to image the surface of both conductors and nonconductors even if they are covered with water or aqueous solutions. An AFM was used that combines microfabricated cantilevers with a previously described optical lever system to monitor deflection. Images of mica demonstrate that atomic resolution is possible on rigid materials, thus opening the possibility of atomic-scale corrosion experiments on nonconductors. Images of polyalanine, an amino acid polymer, show the potential of the AFM for revealing the structure of molecules important in biology and medicine. Finally, a series of ten images of the polymerization of fibrin, the basic component of blood clots, illustrate the potential of the AFM for revealing subtle details of biological processes as they occur in real time.     

Imaging powders with the atomic force microscope: from biominerals to commercial materials

Atomically resolved images of pressed powder samples have been obtained with the atomic force microscope (AFM). The technique was successful in resolving the particle, domain, and atomic structure of pismo clam (Tivela stultorum) and sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) shells and of commercially available calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) and strontium carbonate (SrCO(3)) powders. Grinding and subsequent pressing of the shells did not destroy the microstructure of these materials. The atomic-resolution imaging capabilities of AFM can be applied to polycrystalline samples by means of pressing powders with a grain size as small as 50 micrometers. These results illustrate that the AFM is a promising tool for material science and the study of biomineralization.     

Orientational ordering of polymers by atomic force microscope tip-surface interaction

Results of studies on the interaction between the tip of an atomic force microscope and polystyrene molecules in a film spread on a surface are reported. The tip produces a persistent deformation on the film; some of the polymer molecules are eventually pulled up by the tip. Nanometer-size structures are induced, resulting in a pattern that is periodic and is oriented perpendicular to the scan direction.     

The controlled evolution of a polymer single crystal

We present a method for controlling the initiation and kinetics of polymer crystal growth using dip-pen nanolithography and an atomic force microscope tip coated with poly-dl-lysine hydrobromide. Triangular prisms of the polymer epitaxially grow on freshly cleaved mica substrates, and their in-plane and out-of-plane growth rates can be controlled by raster scanning the coated tip across the substrate. Atomic force microscope images were concomitantly recorded, providing a set of photographic images of the process as it spans the nanometer- to micrometer-length scales as a function of environmental conditions.     

Revealing the angular symmetry of chemical bonds by atomic force microscopy

We have measured the angular dependence of chemical bonding forces between a carbon monoxide molecule that is adsorbed to a copper surface and the terminal atom of the metallic tip of a combined scanning tunneling microscope and atomic force microscope. We provide tomographic maps of force and current as a function of distance that revealed the emergence of strongly directional chemical bonds as tip and sample approach. The force maps show pronounced single, dual, or triple minima depending on the orientation of the tip atom, whereas tunneling current maps showed a single minimum for all three tip conditions. We introduce an angular dependent model for the bonding energy that maps the observed experimental data for all observed orientations and distances.     

Scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy: application to biology and technology

The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and the atomic force microscope (AFM) are scanning probe microscopes capable of resolving surface detail down to the atomic level. The potential of these microscopes for revealing subtle details of structure is illustrated by atomic resolution images including graphite, an organic conductor, an insulating layered compound, and individual adsorbed oxygen atoms on a semiconductor. Application of the STM for imaging biological materials directly has been hampered by the poor electron conductivity of most biological samples. The use of thin conductive metal coatings and replicas has made it possible to image some biological samples, as indicated by recently obtained images of a recA-DNA complex, a phospholipid bilayer, and an enzyme crystal. The potential of the AFM, which does not require a conductive sample, is shown with molecular resolution images of a nonconducting organic monolayer and an amino acid crystal that reveals individual methyl groups on the ends of the amino acids. Applications of these new microscopes to technology are demonstrated with images of an optical disk stamper, a diffraction grating, a thin-film magnetic recording head, and a diamond cutting tool. The STM has even been used to improve the quality of diffraction gratings and magnetic recording heads.     

Scanned probe imaging of single-electron charge states in nanotube quantum dots

An atomic force microscope was used to study single-electron motion in nanotube quantum dots. By applying a voltage to the microscope tip, the number of electrons occupying the quantum dot could be changed, causing Coulomb oscillations in the nanotube conductance. Spatial maps of these oscillations were used to locate individual dots and to study the electrostatic coupling between the dot and the tip. The electrostatic forces associated with single electrons hopping on and off the quantum dot were also measured. These forces changed the amplitude, frequency, and quality factor of the cantilever oscillation, demonstrating how single-electron motion can interact with a mechanical oscillator.     

利用原子力显微镜观察芥蓝叶片气孔

利用原子力显微镜(atomic force microscope,AFM)的振荡模式研究芥蓝叶片上表皮气孔的三维形貌,并对气孔在叶片失水过程中的形态变化进行动态观察.结果表明,通过AFM的扫描成像,观察到芥蓝叶片表皮的气孔及其周围的细胞,包括保卫细胞、副卫细胞、其他表皮细胞等的微观结构,还观测到覆盖在副卫细胞的微纤维,测量出这些微纤维的直径约为400nm,间隔约为200nm.     

γ-聚谷氨酸高吸水树脂的结构和形态

摘要采用红外光谱（IR）、核磁共振（NMR）、原子力显微镜（AFM）对γ-聚谷氨酸高吸水树脂进行了结构分析和形态袁征,结果发现,在聚乙二醇缩水甘油醚交联剂的存在下,γ-聚谷氨酸能够充分交联,树脂具有良好的吸水性能。     

Subatomic Features on the Silicon (111)-(7x7) Surface Observed by Atomic Force Microscopy

The atomic force microscope images surfaces by sensing the forces between a sharp tip and a sample. If the tip-sample interaction is dominated by short-range forces due to the formation of covalent bonds, the image of an individual atom should reflect the angular symmetry of the interaction. Here, we report on a distinct substructure in the images of individual adatoms on silicon (111)-(7x7), two crescents with a spherical envelope. The crescents are interpreted as images of two atomic orbitals of the front atom of the tip. Key for the observation of these subatomic features is a force-detection scheme with superior noise performance and enhanced sensitivity to short-range forces.