Table of Contents

1. Fundamentals and methods of AFM for biophysics
2. Imaging and force detection of DNA by AFM
3. High-resolution imaging and force spectroscopy of membrane proteins by AFM
4. Characterizing the nanostructures and properties of hydrogels by AFM
5. Detecting the behaviours of single virus by AFM
6. Nanoscale imaging and force probing of single microbial cells by AFM
7. Investigating the structures and mechanics of single animal cells by AFM
8. Combining AFM with complementary techniques: Hybrid AFM for biophysics
9. Conclusion and future perspectives

About the Author

Mi Li PhD is a Full Professor at Shenyang Institute of Automation Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China. Mi Li received the Ph.D. degree in 2015 from Shenyang Institute of Automation (SIA) Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China, after which he continues academic career at SIA until now. Since 2009, Mi Li has been engaged in the studies of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and its biomedical applications ranging from molecules and organelles to cells as well as hydrogels, to reveal the role of micro/nanoscale biophysical cues in regulating life activities. Mi Li has conducted long-term visitor studies at The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA and ETH Zurich, Switzerland, respectively for academic research regarding AFM. Mi Li has won the National Natural Science Foundation of China for Excellent Young Scholars (2019), the IEEE Senior Member (2020), the Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award of Chinese Academy of Sciences (2016) and the Springer Theses (2018).