Molecular resolution imaging of polyglucose by scanning tunneling microscopy

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Abstract
We have obtained atomic resolution images of poly-α-D-glucose by scanning tunneling microscopy. The oxygen atoms near the scanning tip were imaged, but the carbon and hydrogen atoms were not visible. The measured inter-atomic distances are consistent with the molecular structure of poly-α-D-glucose deduced from chemical and X-ray diffraction studies. The results also demonstrate that is 1% feasible to image surface atomic structures of a relatively thick non-conducting specimen, suggesting that the technique may be applied to the study of other macromolecules of biological importance