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).
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 499-506 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Scanning Microscopy |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| State | Published - Dec 1 1994 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Atomic force microscopy (AFM)
- Methanospirillum hungatei
- chitin
- elasticity
- force
- internal pressure
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Instrumentation
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Cite this
Xu, W., Mulhern, P. J., Blackford, B. L., Jericho, M. H., Templeton, I., Dahn, D. C., Moy, V., & Chernoff, D. A. (1994). A new atomic force microscopy technique for the measurement of the elastic properties of biological materials. Scanning Microscopy, 8(3), 499-506.