Abstract
Scanning force microscopy of thin gelatin films on mica reveals two distinct film components with characteristic frictional, morphological and stability signatures. A high-friction continuous film 1–4 nm thick strongly adheres to mica, while a low-friction component is adsorbed as porous islands on top of or small domains within, the high-friction layer and is more easily perturbed by the scanning process. A high-force scanning procedure remarkably transforms the molecularly rough high-friction film into the molecularly smooth low-friction component if a sufficient amount of water is present in or on the film. The nanostructure of both the high- and low-friction components is imaged using a nanometer-scale asperity of gelatin attached to the SFM tip. The anticipated network structure of gelatin is observed on the high-friction layer. The low-friction material is interpreted as moieties of intramolecularly folded gelatin, with thickness (1.5±0.2 nm) equal to the diameter of the collagen-fold triple helix, containing substantial structural water.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
E. Meyer, R. Overney, D. Brodbeck, L. Howald, R. Luthi, J. Frommer, H. Guntherodt, Friction and wear of Langmuir-Blodgett films observed by friction force microscopy, Phys. Rev. Lett., 69: 1777 – 1780 (1992).
R.M. Overney, E. Meyer,.T. Frommer, D. Brodbeck, R. Luthi, L. Howald, H. Guntherodt, M. Fujihira, H. Takano, Y. Gotoh, Friction measurements on phase-separated thin films with a modified atomic force microscope, Nature, 359: 133 – 135 (1992).
G. Haugstad, W.L. Gladfelter, E.B. Weberg, Friction force microscopy of AgBr crystals: Ago rods and adsorbed gelatin films, Langmuir, 9: 3717 – 3721 (1993).
S.A. Joyce, R.C. Thomas, J.E. Houston, T.A Michalske, R.M. Crooks, Mechanical relaxation of organic monolayer films measured by force microscopy, Phys. Rev. Lett., 68: 2790 – 2793 (1992).
N.A. Burnham, D.D. Dominguez, R.L. Mowery, R.J. Colton, Probing the surface forces of monolayer films with an atomic-force microscope, Phys. Rev. Lett., 64: 1931 – 1934 (1990).
G. Haugstad, W.L. Gladfelter, M.P. Keyes, E.B. Weberg, Atomic force microscopy of AgBr crystals and adsorbed gelatin films, Langmuir, 9: 1594 – 1600 (1993).
H. Haefke, E. Meyer, L. Howald, U. Schwarz, G. Gcrth, M. Krohn, Atomic surface and lattice structures of AgBr thin films, Ultramicroscopy, 42-44: 290 – 297 (1992).
G. Hegenbart, T. Mussig, Atomic force microsoopy studies of atomic structures on AgBr(111) surfaces, Surf. Sci. Lett., 275: L655 – L661 (1992).
M.P. Keyes, E.C. Phillips, W.L. Gladfelter, In situ atomic three microscopy of AgBr tabular grains: surface effects of iodide, J Imag. Sci. Technol., 36:268–272 (1992).
Takada, H. Nozoye, Atomic force microscopy studies of AgBr emulsion grains, Langmuir, 9: 3305 – 3309 (1993).
G. Haugstad, W.L. Gladfelter, E.B. Weberg, R.T. Weberg, T.D. Weatherill, Probing Biopolymers with Scanning Force Methods: Adsorption, Structure, Properties and Transformation of Gelatin on Mica, Langmuir, 10: 42 – 95 (1994).
M. Djabourov, Architecture of gelatin gels, Contemp. Phys., 29: 273 – 297 (1988).
L. Lee, ed., Advances in polymer friction and wear, in: “Polymer Science and Technology” Plenum Press, New York, vol. 5 (1974).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Haugstad, G., Gladfelter, W.L., Weberg, E.B., Weberg, R.T., Weatherill, T.D. (1997). Scanning Force Microscopy Characterization of Biopolymer Films: Gelatin on Mica. In: Cohen, S.H., Lightbody, M.L. (eds) Atomic Force Microscopy/Scanning Tunneling Microscopy 2. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9325-3_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9325-3_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-9327-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-9325-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive