Physical Chemistry II, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstrasse 30, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany.
Ultramicroscopy. 2010 Mar;110(4):320-4. doi: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2010.01.003. Epub 2010 Jan 25.
Interactions between hairs and other natural fibers are of broad interest for both applications and fundamental understanding of biological interfaces. We present a novel method, that allows force measurements between individual hair strands. Hair fragments can be laser-cut without altering their surface chemistry. Subsequently, they are glued onto Atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilevers. This allows carrying out measurements between the hair fragment and surface immobilized hair in a well-defined crossed-cylinder geometry. Both force-distance and friction measurements are feasible. Measurements in air with controlled humidity and in aqueous environment show clear differences which can be explained by the dominating role of capillary interactions in air. Friction is found to be anisotropic, reflecting the fine structure of hair cuticula. While the investigations are focused on the particular example of human hair, we expect that the approach can be extended to other animal/plant fibers and thus offers perspectives for broad spectrum systems.
毛发与其他天然纤维之间的相互作用在应用和生物界面的基础理解方面都具有广泛的兴趣。我们提出了一种新方法，允许在单个毛发之间进行力测量。毛发片段可以通过激光切割而不改变其表面化学性质。随后，将它们粘贴到原子力显微镜（AFM）悬臂上。这允许在定义明确的交叉圆柱几何形状下进行毛发片段与表面固定毛发之间的测量。可以进行力距离和摩擦力测量。在控制湿度的空气中和水介质中的测量显示出明显的差异，这可以通过空气中小管相互作用的主导作用来解释。发现摩擦力具有各向异性，反映了毛发角质层的细微结构。虽然研究集中在人发的特殊示例上，但我们期望该方法可以扩展到其他动物/植物纤维，从而为广泛的系统提供了前景。
