A New Atomic Force Microscopy Technique for the Measurement of the Elastic Properties of Biological Materials

Authors

W. Xu, Dalhousie University
P. J. Mulhern, Dalhousie University
B. L. Blackford, Dalhousie University
M. H. Jericho, Dalhousie UniversityFollow
I. Templeton, Institute for Microstructural Sciences, Ottawa

Abstract

We developed a new technique to measure elastic properties by using the atomic force microscope (AFM) tip to press samples into grooves etched in a GaAs substrate.

We measured the Young's modulus of β-chitin fibres with cross-sections less than 40 nm X 20 nm to be 1-2 X 10¹¹ N/m². In the isotropic approximation, the Young's modulus of the S-layer sheath of the archaeobacterium Methanospirillum hungatei was 1-3 X 10¹⁰ N/m². By testing the sheath to breaking strength we estimated the bacterium can sustain an internal pressure as high as 100-200 atmospheres (1-2 x 10⁷ N/m²).

Recommended Citation

Xu, W.; Mulhern, P. J.; Blackford, B. L.; Jericho, M. H.; and Templeton, I. (1994) "A New Atomic Force Microscopy Technique for the Measurement of the Elastic Properties of Biological Materials," Scanning Microscopy: Vol. 8: No. 3, Article 8.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/microscopy/vol8/iss3/8