title: AFM tips: how sharp are they?
abstract: From both simple estimates and a 'blind' reconstruction based on cryo-AFM images of filamentous actin, we find that the radius of curvature at the apex of Si3N4 tips can be as small as 1 nm with a conical angle in the range 30 approximately 40 degrees, revealing a relatively high aspect ratio that is much greater than previously anticipated. Our results show that commercially available cantilevers are often sharp enough for routine high resolution imaging of biological materials, and suggest that factors other than an inherent blunt tip are probably responsible for frequent occurrences of poor resolution.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, and Physics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Box 449, Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Czajkowsky
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shao
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000648:ultrastructure; D020285:Cryoelectron Microscopy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force / Q000295:instrumentation*; D017655:Silicon Compounds
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D017655:Silicon Compounds; C032734:silicon nitride