Atomic force microscopy

The atomic force microscope (AFM) is a member of the broad family of scanning near-field tools generally referred to as scanning probe microscopes (SPMs). The AFM operates by positioning a probe near to the surface in order to physically measure and map the morphology of a wide variety of biomaterials. Because the technique does not require a vacuum environment, the AFM has become increasingly important in the biomaterials community over the last 2 decades. The AFM is not only viewed as a standard surface characterization tool, but the AFM has also become an important instrument for making high resolution biophysical measurements of cells, proteins, and DNA, as well as for the measurement of biological interactions. This chapter explores the utility of AFM within the field of biomaterials science and introduces a number of high-resolution imaging techniques that can be addressed to a variety of biological systems.