This contribution is devided in two sections. The first section is devoted to examine some relevant issues regarding force microscopy imaging of biomolecules such as spatial resolution, molecule deformation and quantitative mapping of mechanical properties. Specifically, we present a method to obtain the stress-strain curve of a single protein in liquid. The second section is devoted to present an advanced AFM method to genearte three dimensional maps of  solid-liquid interfaces. We develop a force microscope method to map the 3D structure of solid-liquid interfaces. The maps provide atomic-scale spatial resolution images of the formation of hydration layers and the adsorption of ions on solid-liquid interfaces.  Some applications include to resolve the atomic structure of hydration layers generated from alkali chloride solutions on an atomically flat mica surface. 

D. Martin-Jimenez, E. Chacon, P. Tarazona, R. Garcia, Submitted    

E.T. Herruzo, A.P. Perrino and R. Garcia, Nature Commun. 5, 3126  (2014)     

R. Garcia, E.T. Herruzo, Nat. Nanotechnol. 7, 217-226 (2012)

Figures:

Figure 1. Bimodal AFM 3D images of solid-water volumes. a, 3D map of a mica-water interface. The side view shows variations of the phase shift of mode 2. The stripes are associated to the presence of hydration layers. The view from the mica surface upwards (left panel) shows variations of ϕ2. b, 3D map of a GroEL patch-water interface. The side view shows a slightly rough landscape with variations of the amplitude of about 1 nm. Those variations are interpreted as perturbations in the interface. The view from the GroEL patch upwards shows the relatively rough surface of the GroEL patches

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