Atomic force microscope for high-speed, nanomechanical and electrochemical characterizations

用于高速、纳米力学和电化学表征的原子力显微镜

• 批准号: 529852963
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Universität Stuttgart
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Major Research Instrumentation
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2022-12-31 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/529852963?language=en
• 关键词: Atomic; force; microscope; speed; nanomechanical

Our various research activities in the fields of physics, nanoscience and cell biology require nanoscale resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) capable of high-speed and advanced nanomechanical characterization of adhesive biological samples under physiologically relevant conditions as well as nanoscale electrochemistry. The 2. Physics Institute (leading applicant) with research focus on DNA-nanotechnology and nanophotonics, will predominantly employ the AFM to morphologically characterize DNA-origami-based nano-/microarchitectures as well as their dynamical functionalities. The 2. Physics Institute will further apply AFM-based scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), where electrochemical reactions can be triggered and monitored beneath the AFM tip with nanometer resolution, to realize reconfigurable nanophotonic (polymer) metasurfaces offering different functionalities, e.g. holography. It will also be used by the 4. Physics Institute to characterize the swelling and shrinking behaviour of conducting polymers. The Institute of Biomaterials and Biomolecular Systems (IBBS) will utilize the AFM to investigate the function and regulation of transport processes across biological membranes. IBBS further seeks to assess the static and dynamically changing material properties in tailored 2D and 3D hydrogels to control biological cellular responses. The Institute of Cell Biology and Immunology will use the AFM to measure cell and tissue mechanics and investigate how epithelial cell behaviour is modulated its microenvironment. Our typical samples, e.g. complex DNA-origami assemblies, metasurfaces, hydrogels, cells and cellular mimics as well as their constituting building block, e.g. DNA-origamis, biomolecules, TOM (translocase of the outer membrane) complexes, proteins, polymer and metal nanostructures, have to be imaged with nanometer spatial resolution under controllable (physiologically relevant) conditions. In contrast to electron and optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, which is state of the art and a well-established technology in nanoscience and cell biology, offers such functionalities. Additionally, the requested AFM should provide a variety of operation modes enabling high-resolution imaging, high-speed imaging (at least 7 frames per second), AFM-tip-based SECM (at least sub-100 nm spatial resolution) and force spectroscopy for nanomechanical characterization. It should operate in tip-scanning configuration and be compatible with inverted confocal microscopes. An AFM providing these versatile functionalities is currently not available at the University of Stuttgart. We therefore heavily rely on the acquisition of such a versatile tool to gain new insight into the assembly and functional dynamics of (hybrid) DNA-based nanoarchitectures and conducting-polymer-based metasurfaces, the transport processes across biological membranes, the hydrogel-controlled biological cellular responses as well as epithelial cells and tissue physiology.

我们在物理学，纳米科学和细胞生物学领域的各种研究活动需要纳米级分辨率的原子力显微镜（AFM）能够在生理相关条件下以及纳米级电化学下对粘附性生物样品进行高速和先进的纳米机械表征。了2.物理研究所（领先的申请人）的研究重点是DNA纳米技术和纳米光子学，将主要采用原子力显微镜的形态特征的DNA折纸为基础的纳米/微架构，以及他们的动态功能。了2.物理研究所将进一步应用基于AFM的扫描电化学显微镜（SECM），其中电化学反应可以在AFM针尖下以纳米分辨率触发和监测，以实现可重构的纳米光子（聚合物）超颖表面，提供不同的功能，例如全息术。它也将被用于4。物理研究所，以表征导电聚合物的溶胀和收缩行为。生物材料和生物分子系统研究所（IBBS）将利用AFM来研究跨生物膜运输过程的功能和调节。IBBS还试图评估定制的2D和3D水凝胶中的静态和动态变化的材料特性，以控制生物细胞反应。细胞生物学和免疫学研究所将使用AFM测量细胞和组织力学，并研究上皮细胞的行为是如何调节其微环境的。我们的典型样品，例如复杂的DNA折纸组件、超表面、水凝胶、细胞和细胞模拟物以及它们的构成构件，例如DNA折纸、生物分子、TOM（外膜转位酶）复合物、蛋白质、聚合物和金属纳米结构，必须在可控（生理相关）条件下以纳米空间分辨率成像。与电子和光学显微镜相反，原子力显微镜是纳米科学和细胞生物学中最先进和成熟的技术，提供了这样的功能。此外，所要求的AFM应提供各种操作模式，实现高分辨率成像，高速成像（至少每秒7帧），基于AFM针尖的SECM（至少低于100 nm的空间分辨率）和力谱的纳米机械表征。它应该在尖端扫描配置中操作，并与倒置共焦显微镜兼容。提供这些多功能的AFM目前在斯图加特大学不可用。因此，我们在很大程度上依赖于收购这样一个多功能的工具，以获得新的见解（混合）DNA为基础的纳米结构和导电聚合物为基础的元表面的组装和功能动力学，跨生物膜的运输过程，水凝胶控制的生物细胞反应以及上皮细胞和组织生理学。