Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 25, 2026

Bacterial Immobilization for Imaging by Atomic Force Microscopy
Published on: August 10, 2011
Chemical treatment of mica for atomic force microscopy can affect biological sample conformation
Lilian T Costa1, José R Pinto, Marta B Moraes
1Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21949-900, Brazil.
Abstract:
An important aspect in the preparation of substrate materials to use in atomic force microscopy lies in the question of interactions introduced by treatments designed to immobilize the sample over the substrate. Here we used a mica substrate that was chemically modified with cationic nickel to immobilize actin filaments (F-actin). Chemical modification could be followed quantitatively by measuring the interaction force between the scanning tip and the mica surface. This approach allowed us to observe polymeric F-actin in a structure that resembles an actin gel. It also improved sample throughput and conferred sample stability as well as repeatability from run to run.
Related Concept Videos
Preparation of Samples for Electron Microscopy
Atomic Force Microscopy
The AFM Probe
The probe is regarded as the heart of any AFM setup and comprises the...
Fixation and Sectioning
The simplest type of preparation is the wet mount, in which the specimen is placed in a drop of liquid on the slide. A liquid specimen can be directly deposited on the slide using a dropper. Solid specimens, such as skin scraping, can be placed on the slide before adding a drop of liquid to prepare the wet mount. Sometimes the liquid is simply water, but stains are often added...

