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Scanning Probe Microscopes—Applications in Cereal Science

¹IACR-Long Ashton Research Station, Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Bristol, Long Ashton, Bristol BS18 9AF, UK. ²H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, UK. Present address: Department of Physics, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA. ³Corresponding author. E-mail: arthur.tatham@bbsrc.ac.uk

Scanning probe microscopes (SPMs) are a family of related instruments which can produce high-resolution images of structures at the molecular and atomic levels. Their main impact so far has been in surface science, but they also have tremendous potential for the study of biomolecules. In this article we will briefly introduce the properties and principles of these instruments, and then discuss a range of preliminary studies from our laboratories in relation to future applications in cereal science.