Georg Fantner: Nanowire Atomic Force Microscopy
© 2012 EPFL
The excellence of the research performed at EPFL has once again been recognized at an international level. Georg Ernest Fantner has received a STARTING GRANT from the European Research Council (ERC).
Nanowire Atomic Force Microscopy for Real Time Imaging of Nanoscale Biological Processes
The ability to measure structures with nanoscale resolution continues to transform physics, materials science and life science alike. Nevertheless, while there are excellent tools to obtain detailed molecular-level static structure (for example in biology), there are very few tools to develop an understanding of how these structures change dynamically as they fulfil their biological function. New biologically-compatible, high-speed nanoscale characterization technologies are required to perform these measurements. In this project, we will develop a nanowire-based, high-speed atomic force microscope (NW-HS-AFM) capable of imaging the dynamics of molecular processes on living cells. We will use this instrument to study the dynamic pore-formation mechanisms of novel peptide antibiotics.This increase in performance over current AFMs will be achieved through the use of electron-beam-deposited nanogranular tunnelling resistors on prefabricated nanowire AFM cantilevers. By combining these cantilevers with our state of the art high-speed AFM technology, we expect to obtain nanoscale-resolution images of protein pores on living cells at rates of tens of milliseconds per image. This capability will open a whole new arena for seeing nanoscale life in action.
Max ERC funding: 1.26 million Euros
Duration: 60 months
Host institution: EPFL
Project acronym: NAMIC
Domain: Physical and Engineering Sciences