Atomic force microscopy (AFM) besides X‐ray crystallography and electron microscopy is one of the most attractive methods to study bio/nonbio complexes. Information on how biomacromolecules interact with nanomaterials under different environmental conditions has important implications for the practice of nanomedicine and concerning the safety of nanomaterials. These complexes cover a broad range both in terms of stability and composition. AFM offers a wealth of structural and functional data about such assemblies. The variety of samples investigated using AFM in biology includes nanometre‐sized proteins, lipids, DNA, amyloid fibrils, as well as larger objects such as cells. Herein we choose to review the significance of AFM to study various biological aspects of selected assemblies. We have focused on the exploitation of AFM operating in the air. The presented AFM research offers a unique and often unexpected insight into the structure and function of the bio/nonbio complexes.

中文翻译：

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原子力显微镜作为研究生物/非生物复合物的成像工具

除了 X 射线晶体学和电子显微镜之外，原子力显微镜 (AFM) 是研究生物/非生物复合物的最有吸引力的方法之一。关于生物大分子如何在不同环境条件下与纳米材料相互作用的信息对纳米医学的实践和纳米材料的安全性具有重要意义。这些复合物在稳定性和组成方面都涵盖了广泛的范围。AFM 提供了有关此类组件的大量结构和功能数据。在生物学中使用 AFM 研究的各种样品包括纳米级蛋白质、脂质、DNA、淀粉样蛋白原纤维以及更大的物体，如细胞。在这里，我们选择回顾 AFM 在研究选定组件的各种生物学方面的重要性。我们专注于开发在空中运行的 AFM。