Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)

• The atomic force microscope (AFM) is an essential tool for imaging surfaces in applications in cell biology and biomaterials science, measuring surface topography on a scale from angstroms to 100 microns. The key component of the AFM is its cantilever. At the end of the cantilever is a tip that is used to sense a force between the sample and tip. The tip is held several nanometers above the surface using a feedback mechanism that measures surface-top interactions on the scale of nano-Newtons. The tip is brought into continuous or intermittent contact with the sample and raster-scanned over the surface. Continuous contact is referred to as Contact Mode, while intermittent contact is referred to as Tapping Mode. The height of the sample is measured by continuously scanning the sample and recording the deflection of the cantilever. Three-dimensional topographical maps are constructed by plotting the local height against the horizontal probe tip position.
• Nano-scale force interactions represent a developing area of study within the life sciences. The AFM can record the amount of force felt by the tip when brought close to and/or indented into the sample surface and then pulled away. The force is measured as a function of the deflection of the tip on the cantilever. This technique can be used to measure the attractive or repulsive forces between the tip and the sample surface, revealing chemical and mechanical properties like adhesion and elasticity.
• Digital Instruments Bioscope AFM with Contact and Tapping Mode
• Vibration-free compressed air table
• Zeiss Axiovert Inverted Light Microscope
• Dual monitor setup
• Internal Zip drive and Ethernet combo board for image storage and exportation