Joshi Jnanada, Homburg Sarah Vanessa, Ehrmann Andrea
Faculty of Engineering and Mathematics, Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, 33619 Bielefeld, Germany.
Polymers (Basel). 2022 Mar 21;14(6):1267. doi: 10.3390/polym14061267.
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is one of the microscopic techniques with the highest lateral resolution. It can usually be applied in air or even in liquids, enabling the investigation of a broader range of samples than scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which is mostly performed in vacuum. Since it works by following the sample surface based on the force between the scanning tip and the sample, interactions have to be taken into account, making the AFM of irregular samples complicated, but on the other hand it allows measurements of more physical parameters than pure topography. This is especially important for biopolymers and hydrogels used in tissue engineering and other biotechnological applications, where elastic properties, surface charges and other parameters influence mammalian cell adhesion and growth as well as many other effects. This review gives an overview of AFM modes relevant for the investigations of biopolymers and hydrogels and shows several examples of recent applications, focusing on the polysaccharides chitosan, alginate, carrageenan and different hydrogels, but depicting also a broader spectrum of materials on which different AFM measurements are reported in the literature.
原子力显微镜（AFM）是横向分辨率最高的微观技术之一。它通常可在空气中甚至液体中应用，与大多在真空中进行的扫描电子显微镜（SEM）相比，能对更广泛的样品进行研究。由于它是基于扫描探针与样品之间的力来跟踪样品表面工作的，因此必须考虑相互作用，这使得对不规则样品的原子力显微镜检测变得复杂，但另一方面，它比单纯的形貌测量能测量更多的物理参数。这对于组织工程和其他生物技术应用中使用的生物聚合物和水凝胶尤为重要，在这些应用中，弹性特性、表面电荷和其他参数会影响哺乳动物细胞的粘附和生长以及许多其他效应。本综述概述了与生物聚合物和水凝胶研究相关的原子力显微镜模式，并展示了一些近期应用的实例，重点关注壳聚糖、藻酸盐、角叉菜胶等多糖以及不同的水凝胶，但也描绘了文献中报道了不同原子力显微镜测量结果的更广泛材料谱。
