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Dear Naphtali,
for the epoxy, I always used so-called 2-ton epoxy (Devcon), a standard 2-component epoxy with a good track record in AFM fluid experiments. (the last thing you would want is sample surface contamination by a bad epoxy contaminating your sample solution).
3D-manipulators start around EUR 220 (check US price), e.g. http://search.newport.com/?q=*&x2=sku&q2=M-MT-XYZ., nicer ones go into the 500-1000.
for attaching your stylus (pipette, or other device) some modelling clay (PlayDoh etc.) can be a quick solution- fancy adapters look nice but are optional.
Depending on the size of your particles, the manipulator is sometimes overkill: it is amazing how precisely you can work with your hands if your forearms are comfortably rested on a desk and you are looking through a binocular prep microscope. I have repeatably glued 15um beads to cantilever tips without a micromanipulator. If your particles are of similar size or bigger, try this:
-take two popsicle sticks / narrow wooden spatulas or long cotton swabs.
-pluck two Eye brow hairs
glue one eye brow hair to the end of each wooden stick (use small drop of epoxy), with the pointy end of the hair extending beyond the stick.
You now have two micro brushes.
Label them differently (e.g. red & green). Use one to apply epoxy, the other to handle your particles.
Mix some epoxy (not too small a quantity, e.g. 1ml, or it becomes hard to get the ratio right). Mix well!
Carefully dip your epoxy brush in. (Avoid the edge, it's sometimes not well mixed.)
Make a small drop on a glass slide.
Clean your epoxy brush (kim wipe).
Dip epoxy brush in the small drop on the glass slide. Make a smaller drop next to it.
You now have an epoxy supply small enough to use for particle gluing.
Clean your epoxy brush.
Place your (tipless, if desired) cantilever under a good binocular prep microscope with decent illumination (best to keep the CL in the opened gel pack box for this).
Sit in front of your prep microscope comfortably. Take your epoxy brush in one hand. Looking through the microscope, and with your forearms well supported on the table, try to touch the tip of the cantilever with the eye brow hair.
I always find it amazing how fine control you can have with your plain hands, if you can see what you do under a good microscope.
Now, after this practice run, dip the tip of the Epoxy brush in the last epoxy droplet you made. wet the tip of your cantilever with it.
Spill a few particles in your field of view close to the cantilever.
Use the OTHER brush to pick up a particle (it will stick to the eye brow hair by static forces), and deposit it on the epoxy on your cantilever.
The epoxy's meniscus forces will grab it and pull it off the eye brow hair. Done.
With some practice, you can easily prep 5 cantilevers in 5 minutes this way.
Even if your particles happen to be smaller and you ultimately need the manipulator, I recommend you try this, it's an exercise that will give very quick insight and intuition for the process.
Finally, if (before publication) you want proof that the particle surface touching your sample is un-contaminated by epoxy, SEM can give some insight, SIMS (if you have access) will give chemical proof.
Please let me know if you have any questions!
Best regards,
Johannes
I was gluing colloidal probes cantilevers for several years and put a small description on how this was made in the following paper (P. Carl, S. Hermann, Elasticity measurement of living cells with an atomic force microscope: data acquisition and processing, Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol. 457, 551–559 (2008)).
In this paper, you will find there some details on how these preparations were done and which glue, beads, tips were used.
I can only indicate you some rough prices (since I’m living in Europe) of some of the components which are:
- the glue used to attach a particle to the probe tip is a regular two components epoxy glue that can be found in any good general or DIY shop and costs probably between 10-30$.
- the price of the tipless probes are quite similar to the price of regular cantilevers (which are a couple of order of magnitude lower than the price of already prepared colloidal probes) and depend on the coating they may have as well as quantity you are buying.
- the beads that are glued on the tipless cantilevers are somehow worth 100-300$, and when buying them you will have enough beads for several decades.
As for the price of a 3D manipulator I have no idea for it, but it is not really cheap.
Also, what for are you needing a glass pipette for making colloidal probes cantilevers?
Alternativelly, is it not possible for you to prepare the colloidal probe cantilevers directly within your AFM facility?
This way you will be able to save the money corresponding to the micromanipulator.
Feel free to contact me for any additional question or purpose.
Philippe