To detect hydrophobic interactions, Dufrêne and colleagues functionalized a gold AFM tip with CH 3 groups. They obtained nanoscale maps of the hydrophobicity of multiple live pathogens.

(Image: Nanosurf) In C-AFM, a conductive AFM probe, typically made of silicon or silicon nitride and coated with a thin metal layer (e.g., gold or platinum), is used to scan the sample surface. The ...