title: Quantitative nanoscale dielectric microscopy of single-layer supported biomembranes.
abstract: We present the experimental demonstration of low-frequency dielectric constant imaging of single-layer supported biomembranes at the nanoscale. The dielectric constant image has been quantitatively reconstructed by combining the thickness and local capacitance obtained using a scanning force microscope equipped with a sub-attofarad low-frequency capacitance detector. This work opens new possibilities for studying bioelectric phenomena and the dielectric properties of biological membranes at the nanoscale.
authors.affiliation: Departament d'Electronica, Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. lfumagalli@pcb.ub.es
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fumagalli
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sampietro
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gomila
mesh_terms: D002462:Cell Membrane; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D036103:Nanotechnology