We report on a new atomic force microscope (AFM)-based data storage concept called the “Millipede” that has a potentially ultrahigh density, terabit capacity, small form factor, and high data rate. Its potential for ultrahigh storage density has been demonstrated by a new thermomechanical local-probe technique to store and read back data in very thin polymer films. With this new technique, 30–4...

Applications of state-of-the-art atomic force microscopy methods to the elucidation of the surface and near-surface structure of polymeric solids are described. Contact, tapping, force modulation, frictional force, and other modes of atomic force microscopy are described, and recent results are summarized. Conformational and chain order, crystalline order, polymer crystals, lamellar structures,...

Atomic force microscopy provides a novel technique for differentiating the mechanical properties of various cell types. Cell elasticity is abundantly used to represent the structural strength of cells in different conditions. In this study, we are interested in whether physical or physiological cues affect cell elasticity in Atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based assessments. The physical cues inc...

The atomic force microscope (AFM) is designed to provide high-resolution (in the ideal case, atomic) topographical analysis, applicable to both conducting and nonconducting surfaces. The basic imaging principle is very simple: a sample attached to a piezoelectric positioner is rastered beneath a sharp tip attached to a sensitive cantilever spring. Undulations in the surface lead to deflection o...

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a useful tool for probing pressure sensitive surfaces (PSA) at the micron and sub-micron level. Investigators hope that the spatial resolution of microstructure will provide clues to function. Nevertheless, AFM cannot distinguish functional group chemistry associated with topology. In contrast, FT-IR imaging microscopy is an emerging technology that has the powe...

Objective(s): During the last years with increasing resistant bacteria to the most antibiotics bacteriophages are suggested as appropriate treatment option. To investigate lytic activity of bacteriophages there are indirect microbial procedures and direct methods. The present study to complement microbial procedures and investigate ultra-structural characteristics of infection bacterium-phage u...

A new technique for direct-writing of polymer nanostructures on insulating and semiconducting surfaces based on Electrochemical Dip-Pen Nanolithography (E-DPN) is described. The technique is based on electrochemical polymerization of monomers directly underneath the AFM tip. Sub-50 nm poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene lines can be easily created. Such capability to direct-write and pattern polyme...

viewed as a mechanical profiling technique that generates three-dimensional maps of surfaces by scanning a sharp probe attached to a cantilever over a surface. The forces that act between the tip of the cantilever and the sample are used to control the vertical distance. AFM’s potential to reach atomic resolution was foreseen in the original scientific publication2 but, for a long time, the spa...

Dip-pen nanolithography (DPN) is a tip-based direct print technique widely used in nanofabrication applications. DPN is typically performed using Atomic force microscopes (AFM). In DPN, the nano-sized tip of the AFM is coated with a layer of ink molecules of interest, and traversed over a suitable substrate to print the desired pattern. Despite developments in recent years, DPN is still perform...

The endothelial glycocalyx (eGC), a carbohydrate-rich layer lining the luminal side of the endothelium, regulates vascular adhesiveness and permeability. Although central to the pathophysiology of vascular barrier dysfunction in sepsis, glycocalyx damage has been generally understudied, in part because of the aberrancy of in vitro preparations and its degradation during tissue handling. The aim...