Chemical modifications of AFM tips for the study of molecular recognition events

Abstract

The use of AFM to study molecular recognition events at an incredible level of sensitivity is currently a very active field of research. In order to get information at the single molecule level, it is mandatory to modify in a precise manner the AFM tip to anchor either ligand or receptor molecules. In the following lines, we review the achievements in tip modifications and illustrate the scope and limitations of the different strategies that have been reported.