Modification of Silicon AFM Cantilever Tips with an Oligo(ethylene glycol) Derivative for Resisting Proteins and Maintaining a Small Tip Size for High-Resolution Imaging

Abstract
We demonstrate that silicon AFM tips can be modified by etching with 2% HF solution followed by reaction with an α,ω-oligo(ethylene glycol)alkene. Tips properly modified by this technique maintain a small tip size and effectively reduce the nonspecific interaction with fibrinogen and bovine serum albumin, resulting in greatly improved image resolution and contrast for high-coverage fibrinogen films.