New Application Note: Quantitative Imaging of Living Biological Samples PeakForceQNM (AN135)

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Stephen Minne Posted: Wed, Sep 7 2011 3:17 PM

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AN135-Rev A0-Quantitative-Imaging-Living-Biological-Samples-PeakForceQNM-(HiRes).pdf

This article summarizes work that has conducted over the past year on living (and thus soft) samples by using Peak Force QNM. It focuses on silicified organisms, bacteria, and eukaryiotic cells. The Note also proposes a range of probes that can be used to address these different applications.

Quantifying nanomechanical properties on such samples is impossible using tapping mode or phase imaging. Likewise it is also difficult using force spectroscopy (the Young’s modulus cannot be directly extracted from the force curves; furthermore the technique is rather slow and suffers from a lack of resolution.) PFQNM enables these measurements in addition to providing unique and important information such as deformation and dissipation.

Peak Force Tapping and PeakForce QNM were developed about a year ago and rapidly gave very good results on a wide range of samples. Up to now we had not demonstrated this mode to probe the mechanical properties of living cells; this application note provides examples.