Abstract
The atomic force microscope has been used to image arrays of molecules at the surface of DL-leucine crystals. Lattice spacings are consistent with X-ray diffraction data. In contrast to metals and semiconductors, the surface of these amino acid crystals seems to be a simple termination of the bulk; there is no evidence of a surface reconstruction for this molecular crystal. This initial success in imaging amino acid molecules points to the potential usefulness of atomic force microscopy for imaging molecules of biological importance.
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Gould, S., Marti, O., Drake, B. et al. Molecular resolution images of amino acid crystals with the atomic force microscope. Nature 332, 332–334 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/332332a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/332332a0
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