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Main Authors: Cui, Yue, Leong, Weng-Hang, Zhu, Guoli, Liu, Ren-Bao, Li, Quan
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.18577
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author Cui, Yue
Leong, Weng-Hang
Zhu, Guoli
Liu, Ren-Bao
Li, Quan
author_facet Cui, Yue
Leong, Weng-Hang
Zhu, Guoli
Liu, Ren-Bao
Li, Quan
contents Precise assessment of the mechanical properties of soft biological systems at the nanoscale is crucial for understanding physiology, pathology, and developing relevant drugs. Conventional atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based indentation methods suffer from uncertainties in local tip-sample interactions and model choice. This can be overcome by adopting spatially resolved nonlocal deformation sensing for mechanical analysis. However, the technique is currently limited to lifeless/static systems, due to the inadequate spatial or temporal resolution, or difficulties in differentiating the indentation-induced deformation from that associated with live activities and other external perturbations. Here, we develop an innovative dynamic nonlocal deformation sensing approach allowing both spatially and temporally resolved mechanical analysis, which achieves a tens of microsecond time-lag precision, a nanometer vertical deformation precision, and a sub-hundred nanometer lateral spatial resolution. Using oscillatory nanoindentation and spectroscopic analysis, the method can separate the indentation-caused signal from random noise, enabling live cell measurement. Using this method, we discover a distance-dependent phase of surface deformation during indentation, leading to the disclosure of surface tension effects (capillarity) in the mechanical response of live cells upon AFM indentation. A viscoelastic model with surface tension is used to enable simultaneous quantification of the viscoelasticity and capillarity of cell. We show that neglecting surface tension, as in conventional AFM methods, would underestimate the liquid-like characteristics and overestimate the apparent viscoelastic modulus of cells. The study lays down a foundation for understanding a broad range of elastocapillarity-related interfacial mechanics and mechanobiological processes in live cells.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2406_18577
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Nanodiamond-based spatial-temporal deformation sensing for cell mechanics
Cui, Yue
Leong, Weng-Hang
Zhu, Guoli
Liu, Ren-Bao
Li, Quan
Biological Physics
Quantum Physics
Precise assessment of the mechanical properties of soft biological systems at the nanoscale is crucial for understanding physiology, pathology, and developing relevant drugs. Conventional atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based indentation methods suffer from uncertainties in local tip-sample interactions and model choice. This can be overcome by adopting spatially resolved nonlocal deformation sensing for mechanical analysis. However, the technique is currently limited to lifeless/static systems, due to the inadequate spatial or temporal resolution, or difficulties in differentiating the indentation-induced deformation from that associated with live activities and other external perturbations. Here, we develop an innovative dynamic nonlocal deformation sensing approach allowing both spatially and temporally resolved mechanical analysis, which achieves a tens of microsecond time-lag precision, a nanometer vertical deformation precision, and a sub-hundred nanometer lateral spatial resolution. Using oscillatory nanoindentation and spectroscopic analysis, the method can separate the indentation-caused signal from random noise, enabling live cell measurement. Using this method, we discover a distance-dependent phase of surface deformation during indentation, leading to the disclosure of surface tension effects (capillarity) in the mechanical response of live cells upon AFM indentation. A viscoelastic model with surface tension is used to enable simultaneous quantification of the viscoelasticity and capillarity of cell. We show that neglecting surface tension, as in conventional AFM methods, would underestimate the liquid-like characteristics and overestimate the apparent viscoelastic modulus of cells. The study lays down a foundation for understanding a broad range of elastocapillarity-related interfacial mechanics and mechanobiological processes in live cells.
title Nanodiamond-based spatial-temporal deformation sensing for cell mechanics
topic Biological Physics
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.18577