Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a powerful and versatile tool for probing the mechanical properties of biological samples. This chapter describes the procedures for using AFM indentation to measure the elastic moduli of living cells. We include step-by-step instructions for cantilever calibration and data acquisition using a combined AFM/optical microscope system, as well as a detailed protoco...

We have developed a dynamic atomic force microscopy (AFM) method based on the simultaneous excitation of the first two flexural modes of the cantilever. The instrument, called a bimodal atomic force microscope, allows us to resolve the structural components of antibodies in both monomer and pentameric forms. The instrument operates in both high and low quality factor environments, i.e., air and...

We present a fast method for computing simulated Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) image scans (including tip artifacts). The basic insight is that the array of depth values in the depth buffer of a graphics system is analogous to the height field making up an AFM image, and thus the ability of graphics hardware to compute the depth of many pixels in parallel can be used to radically speed up the A...

We show a quantitative connection between Refractive Index Profiles (RIP) and measurements made by an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). Germanium doped fibers were chemically etched in hydrofluoric acid solution (HF) and the wet etching characteristics of germanium were studied using an AFM. The AFM profiles were compared to both a concentration profile of the preform determined using a Scanning E...

Alignment of perpendicularly oriented lamellar block copolymer domains using an AFM tip is demonstrated. The AFM tip orients the domains through local shearing, resulting in domain alignment parallel to tip travel. AFM tips can also deposit block copolymer nanostructures on heated substrates with a variety of experimentally observed domain alignments.