Nanoscale Investigation of Electromagnetic Properties of Cells through Near-Field Scanning Microwave Microscopy

T.Monti1, T.Pietrangelo2, M.Farina1 1 Universita Politecnica delle Marche, Information Engineering Dept. (DII), Ancona (Italy)
2Universita

degli studi G.dAnnunzio, Basic and Applied Medical Sciences Dept. (BAMS), Chieti (Italy)

Abstract In this work, we describe the application of an in-house system performing simultaneously Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) and wide-band Near Field Scanning Microwave Microscopy
(wide-band SMM) to a biological sample. Glycerinated rabbit myofibrils are deposited on a substrate of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO)-coated glass. By introducing the time-domain conversion of frequency domain data, we show that it is possible to achieve nanometric resolution.

Near-field Scanning Microwave Microscope (NSMM)

We have modified two commercial instruments: an STM, an NT-MDT P-47 Solver, and a Vector Network Analyzer Agilent E8361A (VNA), used to perform ultrabroadband measurements of the microwave signal with high dynamic (bandwidth 70GHz). In figure on the left a scheme of the system. The sample is horizontally displaced by a piezo membrane (xy), and the reflection coefficient is read through an Ethernet connection. The VNA performs a frequency sweep over a sub-band of the 0-70 GHz capability. The STM controller keeps the sample/probe distance by changing the z-position of the piezo-membrane, and ensuring a predefined tunnel current. By reading the z-position, a simultaneous STM topographical map is obtained. In figures on the upper right (clockwise) a picture and the related scheme of the in-house hybrid STM/SMM head, and an electromagnetic simulation of the microwave field.
PlatinumIridium tip/probe

SMA center electrode

Metal Cyclinder SMA

STM head Teflon DC blocking insulator

Ipodermic needle

STM tipsupport

Sample

XYZ piezo mover

Time-domain (TD) transformation

FREQUENCY DOMAIN (FD) DATA
Inverse Fourier Transform Fourier Transform

Preparation of myofibrils
A glycerinated skeletal muscle tissue of rabbit (R. PSOAS) is

Results: image of an isolate myofibril

TIME DOMAIN (TD) DATA

cutted in small pieces. Then it is

homogenized in a buffer solution (50% glycerol solution in
A band

The time-domain image collects all the detail given by the

frequency domain images.

The proper time instant allows to exclude secondary reflections, bidistilled water). We use IKA T10 BASIC homogenizer also coming from the rest of the system, delayed in time. The direct reflection from the sample gives a time-domain image workcenter. The solution, of it. Any microwave image is inevitably the convolution of local containing isolated myofibrils, is and non-local interactions: easy interpretation of TD data. [1] then deposited over an ITOcoated glass slice. [2]

I band

Conclusions and perspectives We have presented a near-field microwave analysis of

glycerinated myofibrils sample. By using our in-house near-field SMM and through the TD conversion of the frequency domain data, we obtained nanometric scale images of electromagnetic features of the cells. STM image SMM (time) The work is ongoing, also considering the interaction of the microwave field with subsurface object. The main limitation of the lack of the spatial resolution in buried detection (recall microwave tomography), [1] Farina M., et al., Disentangling Time in a Near-Field Approach to the Scanning Probe Microscopy, Nanoscale, 3, 9, 89could be overcame by TD technique. 93, 2011
Corresponding Author: t.monti@univpm.it

Thin (actin) filament Thick (myosin) filament

[2] Hirose K., et al., Flash and smash: rapid freezing of muscle fibers activated by photolysis of caged ATP, Biophysical Journal, 65, 1, pp.397-408, 1993