Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a technology for measuring the structures and properties of the surfaces of substances. Because it can be used in liquid, its application to atomic-/molecular-scale measurement of interfacial structures of solids and liquids is being anticipated. The research group to which I belong has recently developed a three-dimensional AFM (3D AFM) and has successfully created the world’s first three-dimensional image of fluctuating molecular chains and the adsorption structure of water molecules. I am trying to apply 3D AFM to life science, in the hopes that visualizing structures of cells -- the base units that comprise the human body -- on a molecular scale will help us to deepen understanding of life phenomena such as illness, growth, and aging. Our research team will work on this technology needed to measure cells’ surface structures by 3D AFM.
