Atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based methods have matured into a powerful nanoscopic platform, enabling the characterization of a wide range of biological and synthetic biointerfaces ranging from tissues, cells, membranes, proteins, nucleic acids and functional materials. Although the unprecedented signal-to-noise ratio of AFM enables the imaging of biological interfaces from the cellular to the molecular scale, AFM-based force spectroscopy allows their mechanical, chemical, conductive or electrostatic, and biological properties to be probed. The combination of AFM-based imaging and spectroscopy structurally maps these properties and allows their 3D manipulation with molecular precision. In this Review, we survey basic and advanced AFM-related approaches and evaluate their unique advantages and limitations in imaging, sensing, parameterizing and designing biointerfaces. It is anticipated that in the next decade these AFM-related techniques will have a profound influence on the way researchers view, characterize and construct biointerfaces, thereby helping to solve and address fundamental challenges that cannot be addressed with other techniques.

基于原子力显微镜（AFM）的方法已经发展成为功能强大的纳米平台，从而能够表征从组织，细胞，膜，蛋白质，核酸和功能性材料在内的多种生物和合成生物界面。尽管AFM前所未有的信噪比可以对从细胞到分子尺度的生物界面进行成像，但基于AFM的力谱可以探测其机械，化学，导电或静电以及生物学特性。基于原子力显微镜的成像和光谱学的结合在结构上映射了这些特性，并使其能够以分子精度进行3D操作。在本评论中，我们调查了与AFM相关的基本方法和高级方法，并评估了它们在成像，传感，参数化和设计生物界面。预计在未来十年中，这些与AFM相关的技术将对研究人员查看，表征和构建生物界面的方式产生深远影响，从而有助于解决和解决其他技术无法解决的基本挑战。