Abstract
The rupture force of single covalent bonds under an external load was measured with an atomic force microscope (AFM). Single polysaccharide molecules were covalently anchored between a surface and an AFM tip and then stretched until they became detached. By using different surface chemistries for the attachment, it was found that the silicon-carbon bond ruptured at 2.0 ± 0.3 nanonewtons, whereas the sulfur-gold anchor ruptured at 1.4 ± 0.3 nanonewtons at force-loading rates of 10 nanonewtons per second. Bond rupture probability caLcuLations that were based on density functional theory corroborate the measured values.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1727-1730 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Science |
Volume | 283 |
Issue number | 5408 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 12 Mar 1999 |
Externally published | Yes |