DOI: 10.1126/science.2464851. The Scanning Ion-Conductance Microscope

10.1126/science.2464851

Crossref journal-article

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Science (221)

Abstract

A scanning ion-conductance microscope (SICM) has been developed that can image the topography of nonconducting surfaces that are covered with electrolytes. The probe of the SICM is an electrolyte-filled micropipette. The flow of ions through the opening of the pipette is blocked at short distances between the probe and the surface, thus limiting the ion conductance. A feedback mechanism can be used to maintain a given conductance and in turn determine the distance to the surface. The SICM can also sample and image the local ion currents above the surfaces. To illustrate its potential for imaging ion currents through channels in membranes, a topographic image of a membrane filter with 0.80-micrometer pores and an image of the ion currents flowing through such pores are presented.

Bibliography

Hansma, P. K., Drake, B., Marti, O., Gould, S. A. C., & Prater, C. B. (1989). The Scanning Ion-Conductance Microscope. Science, 243(4891), 641â643.

Authors 5

P. K. Hansma (first)
B. Drake (additional)
O. Marti (additional)
S. A. C. Gould (additional)
C. B. Prater (additional)

References 23 Referenced 751

Bard, A. J., Analytical Chemistry 61: 132 (1989). (10.1021/ac00177a011) / Analytical Chemistry (1989)
BECKER, R.S., ATOMIC-SCALE SURFACE MODIFICATIONS USING A TUNNELING MICROSCOPE, NATURE 325: 419 (1987). (10.1038/325419a0) / NATURE (1987)
BETZIG, E, PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF PHOTO-OPTICAL INSTRUMENTATION ENGINEERS 897: 91 (1988). / PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY OF PHOTO-OPTICAL INSTRUMENTATION ENGINEERS (1988)
BINNIG, G, SURFACE STUDIES BY SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPY, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 49: 57 (1982). (10.1103/PhysRevLett.49.57) / PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS (1982)
BINNIG, G, ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPE, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 56: 930 (1986). (10.1103/PhysRevLett.56.930) / PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS (1986)
BINNIG, G, SINGLE-TUBE 3-DIMENSIONAL SCANNER FOR SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPY, REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 57: 1688 (1986). (10.1063/1.1139196) / REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS (1986)
BROWN K.T. ADV MICROPIPETTE TEC (1986).
BROWN, K.T., NEW MICRO-ELECTRODE TECHNIQUES FOR INTRACELLULAR WORK IN SMALL CELLS, NEUROSCIENCE 2: 813 (1977). (10.1016/0306-4522(77)90109-9) / NEUROSCIENCE (1977)
DRAKE, B, TUNNELING MICROSCOPE FOR OPERATION IN AIR OR FLUIDS, REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 57: 441 (1986). (10.1063/1.1139208) / REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS (1986)
DRAKE, B, SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPY OF PROCESSES AT LIQUID SOLID INTERFACES, SURFACE SCIENCE 181: 92 (1987). (10.1016/0039-6028(87)90144-0) / SURFACE SCIENCE (1987)
JAFFE, L.F., EXTRACELLULAR CURRENT MEASUREMENTS WITH A VIBRATING PROBE, TRENDS IN NEUROSCIENCES 8: 517 (1985). (10.1016/0166-2236(85)90185-7) / TRENDS IN NEUROSCIENCES (1985)
JARRELL, J.A., A SCANNING MICROPIPET MOLECULE MICROSCOPE, SCIENCE 211: 277 (1981). (10.1126/science.6969441) / SCIENCE (1981)
KAISER, W.J., SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPY STUDY OF METALS - SPECTROSCOPY AND TOPOGRAPHY, SURFACE SCIENCE 181: 55 (1987). (10.1016/0039-6028(87)90141-5) / SURFACE SCIENCE (1987)
LEWIS, A, DEVELOPMENT OF A 500-A SPATIAL-RESOLUTION LIGHT-MICROSCOPE .1. LIGHT IS EFFICIENTLY TRANSMITTED THROUGH GAMMA-16 DIAMETER APERTURES, ULTRAMICROSCOPY 13: 227 (1984). (10.1016/0304-3991(84)90201-8) / ULTRAMICROSCOPY (1984)
MARTI, O, CONTROL ELECTRONICS FOR ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY, REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 59: 836 (1988). (10.1063/1.1139789) / REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS (1988)
Martin, V., Scanning Microscopy 2: 3 (1988). / Scanning Microscopy (1988)
MATEY, J.R., SCANNING CAPACITANCE MICROSCOPY, JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS 57: 1437 (1985). (10.1063/1.334506) / JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS (1985)
MITTMAN, S, BUBBLE PRESSURE MEASUREMENT OF MICROPIPET TIP OUTER DIAMETER, JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS 22: 161 (1987). (10.1016/0165-0270(87)90010-0) / JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS (1987)
MURALT, P, SCANNING TUNNELING POTENTIOMETRY, APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS 48: 514 (1986). (10.1063/1.96491) / APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS (1986)
Pratt, W. K., Digital Image Processing: 323 (1978). / Digital Image Processing (1978)
SAAD J unpublished data.
WILLIAMS, C.C., SCANNING THERMAL PROFILER, APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS 49: 1587 (1986). (10.1063/1.97288) / APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS (1986)
WILSON, R.J., IMAGE-PROCESSING TECHNIQUES FOR OBTAINING REGISTRATION INFORMATION WITH SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPY, JOURNAL OF VACUUM SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY A-VACUUM SURFACES AND FILMS 6: 398 (1988). (10.1116/1.575403) / JOURNAL OF VACUUM SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY A-VACUUM SURFACES AND FILMS (1988)

Dates

Type	When
Created	18 years, 10 months ago (Oct. 5, 2006, 5:21 p.m.)
Deposited	1 year, 7 months ago (Jan. 12, 2024, 10:15 a.m.)
Indexed	5 days, 19 hours ago (Aug. 23, 2025, 1:02 a.m.)
Issued	36 years, 6 months ago (Feb. 3, 1989)
Published	36 years, 6 months ago (Feb. 3, 1989)
Published Print	36 years, 6 months ago (Feb. 3, 1989)

Funders 0

None

BibTeX

@article{Hansma_1989, title={The Scanning Ion-Conductance Microscope}, volume={243}, ISSN={1095-9203}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.2464851}, DOI={10.1126/science.2464851}, number={4891}, journal={Science}, publisher={American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)}, author={Hansma, P. K. and Drake, B. and Marti, O. and Gould, S. A. C. and Prater, C. B.}, year={1989}, month=feb, pages={641–643} }

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