Multiuser equipment approved in the grant 22/03056-6: atomic force microscope

Abstract

This Multi-User Equipment (EMU) project aims at installing an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) at the São Paulo campus of the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP). The AFM is a scanning probe instrument that allows obtaining data from interfaces at the nanoscale. It enables, among other applications, the acquisition of surface topography of various materials, from rigid substrates to cell membranes. This equipment is focused on obtaining information such as relief, shape, and sizes of nanoparticles, roughness coefficients, electrical measurements (e.g., conductivity, resistivity, electrostatic force), among other properties. Other advanced applications involve conducting force spectroscopy assays, enabling valuable mechanical information such as elasticity modules, adhesion forces, and stiffness data. Among the potential systems to be analyzed, one may highlight organic and inorganic nanoparticles (e.g., liposomes and vesicles, metallic nanospheres, amyloid fibers, protein aggregates, nucleic acid chains, etc.), cell membranes (in liquid medium or fixed for analysis in air), organic films, tissue surfaces, polymeric hydrogels, solid interfaces (e.g., biosensors, implant surfaces, etc.). The equipment will be installed on the microscopy platform of the Center for Pharmacology and Molecular Biology (INFAR), with the potential to serve dozens of research groups from both UNIFESP and partner institutions. Its installation will thus expand the range of microscopy currently available at the Sao Paulo campus of UNIFESP, also serving as a complement to more established methodologies such as confocal and electron microscopy, benefiting projects conducted in departments dedicated to both basic and clinical research. (AU)