In vertebrates, collagen tissues are the main component responsible for force transmission. In spite of the physiological importance of these phenomena, force transmission mechanisms are still not fully understood, especially at smaller scales, including in particular collagen molecules and fibrils. Here we investigate the mechanism of molecular sliding between collagen molecules within a fibri...

This paper examines the pull-in behavior of a bio-mass sensor with a cantilevered CNT actuated electrostatically by considering rippling deformation. Although this phenomenon can remarkably change the behavior of CNT, its effect on the performance of a CNT-based mass sensor has not been investigated thus far. This investigation is based on modified Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and rippling effec...

Intermolecular forces impact a wide spectrum of problems in condensed phases: from molecular recognition, self-assembly, and protein folding at the molecular and nanometer scale, to interfacial fracture, friction, and lubrication at a macroscopic length scale. Understanding these phenomena, regardless of the length scale, requires fundamental knowledge of the magnitude and range of underlying w...

The folding of various intra- and intermolecular i-motif DNAs is systematically studied to expand the toolbox for the control of mechanical operations in DNA nanoarchitectures. We analyzed i-motif DNAs with two C-tracts under acidic conditions by gel electrophoresis, circular dichroism, and thermal denaturation and show that their intra- versus intermolecular folding primarily depends on the le...

A facile and universal method for the functionalization of an AFM tip has been developed for chemical force spectroscopy (CFS) studies of intermolecular interactions of biomolecules. A click reaction between tripod-acetylene and an azide-linker-ligand molecule was successfully carried out on the AFM tip surface and used for the CFS study of ligand-receptor interactions.

We demonstrate that intermolecular stacking is capable of forming one-dimensional arrays of a blunt-ended 3-helix DNA motif. The array can be visualized in the atomic force microscopy through conjugated streptavidin nanoparticles. We estimate the strength of the triple stacking interaction to be -8.6 kcal mol(-1).

A scanning force microscope was converted to an electrostatic force microscope by charging the usually neutral cantilever with phospholipids. The electrostatic force microscope was used to study surface electrostatic charges of samples in aqueous solutions. Lysozymes, DEAE-Sephadex beads, 3-propyltriethoxysilane-treated glass and mica were imaged in water or phosphate buffer with electrostatic ...