NYU Abu Dhabi researchers develop new 3D atomic force microscopy probe
Abu Dhabi, UAE, July 26, 2022: A team of researchers from NYU Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Microfluidics and Microdevices Laboratory (AMMLab) has developed a new type of three-dimensional Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) probe they call 3DTIP. AFM technology enables scientists to observe, measure, and manipulate samples and micro and nanoscale entities with unprecedented precision. The new 3DTIP, manufactured using a one-step 3D printing process, can be used for a wider range of applications – as well as potential observations and discoveries – than the more limited standard silicon-based probes that are considered state-of-the-art. art in our time.
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a technique for characterizing samples by scanning a physical probe across a surface, yielding an impressive resolution 1,000 times higher than what optical microscopy can achieve. AFM is a fundamental instrument in many disciplines including biomedical sciences, with applications ranging from characterizing living bacteria and mammalian cells, analyzing DNA molecules, studying proteins in real time, and imaging molecules to sub-atomic resolution.
The AFM probe, which consists of a small cantilever beam with a mini tip at the end, is at the heart of this technology. It senses and senses the sample surface through the forces of attraction and repulsion, in the same way we use our fingertips, but with resolution down to the atomic level. Commercial AFM probes are made of silicon, using conventional semiconductor manufacturing processes, typical in the microelectronics industry, which are limited by the 2D design and long production steps. Today’s cutting-edge probes are rigid, brittle, and only available in certain shapes. They are not ideal for investigating soft matter, such as mammalian cells.
In a paper titled 3D Generation of Multipurpose Atomic Force Microscopy Tips published in the journal Advanced Science, the researchers present their proprietary technology for producing the next generation of AFM probes based on 3D printing of two photons polymerization. The resulting 3DTIP is softer than its silicon-based counterpart, which makes it more suitable for AFM applications involving gentler interactions with cells, proteins, and DNA molecules. Importantly, 3DTIP’s material properties allow it to achieve scans that are more than 100 times faster than ordinary silicon probes of the same dimensions. Therefore, 3DTIP may open the door to obtaining videos that capture the bioactivity of proteins, DNA and even smaller molecules in real time.
“We have developed a new technology for the next generation of AFM probes with new materials, improved design and production processes, new shapes in 3D, and customized prototypes for a seamless production cycle for application-focused AFM probes,” said Mohammad Qasaimeh, principal investigator of the project and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Biotechnology at NYUAD. “The ability to produce customized AFM probes with innovative 3D designs in one step provides endless multidisciplinary research opportunities.”
“Our 3DTIP is capable of obtaining high-resolution, high-speed AFM imaging using common AFM modes, and under air and liquid environments,” said Dr. Ayoub Glia, study’s first author and postdoctoral fellow at AMMLab. “Enhancing the 3DTIP tip tip with focused ion beam etching and the inclusion of carbon nanotubes substantially expands its functionality in high-resolution AFM imaging, reaching the angstrom scale.”
The study authors hope that 3DTIP’s multifunctional capabilities can bring next-generation AFM tips to routine and advanced AFM applications and expand the fields of high-speed AFM imaging and biological force measurement.
This study was financially supported by NYU Abu Dhabi, NYU Abu Dhabi Research Enhancement Fund, UAE, and the Terry Fox Foundation’s International Run Program, Vancouver, Canada.
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