More than 70 scientists joined Nanosurf for a day of inspiring talks at the cutting edge of atomic force microscopy research and its applications. Users of Nanosurf instruments surprised the audience with reports on their utilization of AFM to push the boundaries of science further and further.
Daniel J. Müller introduced his approach to mechanobiology, also pointing out the necessity of keeping cells happy and in vivid conditions, followed by Katharina Doll explaining her research on bacterial adhesion on dental implant materials. David Martinez-Martin emphasized the importance of cell mass and growth regulation, showing how he is able to observe these phenomena at the single cell level using the Cytomass Monitor, and Orane Guillaume-Gentil showed how she can inject and extract from cells while maintaining high survival rates using FluidFM.
The audience learned about FluidFM-based SICM with force control in Tomaso Zambelli’s lab, and the final talk before lunch by Wojciech Dera showcased a new tool for scientists allowing easy direct measurement-based lateral force calibration that does not rely on assumptions.
After lunch, Life Science gave way to Materials Science when Thilo Glatzel talked about his research on nanodiamonds, using the Flex-Axiom and Kelvin probe microscopy in the water- and oxygen-free environment of a glovebox, while Paul Keatley showcased his advances in near-field magneto-optical microscopy using the LensAFM. Nanosurf’s own Nikola Pascher gave a glimpse of attaining real atomic resolution in ambient environments with an upcoming Nanosurf AFM that uses qPlus sensors. Oguzan Gürlü’s unconventional use of a Nanosurf STM to explore sub-surface sample properties kept things in the atomic regime, while real-world medical applications of nanotechnology for smart implants and artificial corneal tissues where discussed by Bekim Osmani and Ricardo Gouveia, respectively. The scientific program concluded with Bjarke Jørgensen who explained to the slightly amused but fascinated attendees how he uses AFM in the development of graphene-based sensors for use in potato-sorting machines.
The attendees were also given the unique opportunity to have a first look at upcoming accessories and the new generations of AFM instruments coming straight out of Nanosurf’s R&D.
