The requested instrumentation is for the first of the next-generation of Atomic Force Microscopes that can be used for high resolution structural studies of biological molecules in solution. ? ? The AFM instrument employs a non-oscillatory """"""""tapping mode"""""""" that takes advantage of the advances in tip technology to surpass the resolution limits previously established for biomolecules. The new AFM operation is embedded in a computer program to provide sub-angstrom linear control of cantilever base and tip position, including programmed contact and programmed separation of the tip by a magnetic force ramp. Advantages include a compressive force as small as 20 piconewtons for detection of the sample surface, one touch per pixel and an integrated capability for chemical force mapping. The low compressive forces inherent in the new methodology facilitate the use of single-walled nanotubes of diameter 1 nm or less. ? ? The major users for the instrument are from Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory. The research that will be supported by the instrument falls into three general areas: protein-DNA interactions, amyloid formation and inhibition, and membrane protein complexes and arrays. ? ?
