Abstract
The high resolution of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) makes it a potentially important tool for the study of biomaterials. Biological materials can be imaged with the STM by a procedure in which fluid, nonconductive biomaterials are replaced by rigid and highly conductive freeze-fracture replicas. The three-dimensional contours of the ripple phase of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers were imaged with unprecedented resolution with commercial STMs and standard freeze-fracture techniques. Details of the ripple amplitude, asymmetry, and configuration unobtainable by electron microscopy or x-ray diffraction can be observed relatively easily with the STM.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 1013-1015 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Science |
Volume | 239 |
Issue number | 4843 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1988 |
Externally published | Yes |