Atomic force microscopy articles within Nature Materials

Featured

• Article | 25 May 2020

  Cortical cell stiffness is independent of substrate mechanics

  Atomic force microscopy indentation measurements of cells cultured on soft substrates may result in an underestimation of cell stiffness. A model has now been developed that takes this soft substrate effect into account, revealing that cortical cell stiffness is largely independent of substrate mechanics.

  • Johannes Rheinlaender
  • , Andrea Dimitracopoulos
  •  & Kristian Franze

• Article | 20 January 2020

  Protease-activated receptor signalling initiates α₅β₁-integrin-mediated adhesion in non-haematopoietic cells

  As in haematopoietic cells and platelets, agonist binding to protease-activated receptors PAR1 and PAR2 in non-haematopoietic cells also triggers signalling pathways that lead to α₅β₁-integrin-mediated cell adhesion.

  • Patrizia M. Spoerri
  • , Nico Strohmeyer
  •  & Daniel J. Müller

• Article | 14 October 2019

  Mechanical dissipation via image potential states on a topological insulator surface

  Non-contact dissipation measurements reveal an interplay between electronic states and nanomechanics in Bi₂Te₃, a canonical topological insulator with protected metallic surface states.

  • D. Yildiz
  • , M. Kisiel
  •  & E. Meyer

• Letter | 17 June 2019

  Cellular nanoscale stiffness patterns governed by intracellular forces

  High-spatial-resolution mechanical imaging reveals that intracellular forces generate cellular nanoscale stiffness patterns.

  • Nicola Mandriota
  • , Claudia Friedsam
  •  & Ozgur Sahin

• News & Views | 10 June 2019

  Electric potentials at the atomic scale

  Quantitative atomic-scale images of electric potentials at surfaces have now been obtained with a non-contact atomic force microscope by functionalizing the tip as a quantum dot sensor.

  • Mats Persson

• Article | 17 April 2017

  Tuning crystallization pathways through sequence engineering of biomimetic polymers

  AFM measurements of peptoids assembling into sheets and networks show that the crystallization mechanism is determined by the molecular structure, where the addition of a hydrophobic segment alters the crystal formation process into a two-step pathway.

  • Xiang Ma
  • , Shuai Zhang
  •  & James J. De Yoreo

• News & Views | 23 January 2014

  Distorted by the tip

  Peaks of energy dissipation arising from distortions of a charge density wave have been observed by oscillating the tip of an atomic force microscope a few nanometres above a surface of a layered dichalchogenide.

  • Rubén Pérez

• Research Highlights | 20 June 2013

  Snapped in the act

  • Andrea Taroni

• News & Views | 23 May 2011

  Smart tipping

  • Philip Ball

• News & Views | 15 December 2010

  Contracting to stiffness

  Atomic force microscopy experiments on individual blood platelets reveal their dynamic contractile response to varied stiffness of the substrate.

  • Allen Ehrlicher
  •  & John H. Hartwig

• Letter | 05 December 2010

  Mechanics and contraction dynamics of single platelets and implications for clot stiffening

  Blood platelets aggregate to form clots that prevent haemorrhage. Knowledge of single-platelet mechanics is scarce, however. Atomic force microscopy experiments now show that platelets contract rapidly on contact with fibrinogen, and adhere strongly to multiple fibrin polymers, enhancing the elasticity of clots. These findings are relevant to disorders of platelet function, such as thrombosis.

  • Wilbur A. Lam
  • , Ovijit Chaudhuri
  •  & Daniel A. Fletcher