Abstract
In this paper, the characterization of cellular mechanics of W303 yeast cells was conducted using nanoneedles inside an Environmental-SEM (ESEM). Three types of nanoneedles were used in our experiments, i.e. titanium coated silicon (Si-Ti) and two types of tungsten (W) nanoneedles. The Si-Ti nanoneedle was fabricated using 2 N/m spring constant cantilevers while the W nanoneedles were fabricated using 0.09 N/m and 2 N/m spring constant cantilevers (W_<0.09> and W_2 nanoneedles). The Si-Ti, W_<0.09> and W_2 nanoneedles are suitable to be used for local stiffness characterization of single cells. This capability can be used in future for fast disease detection since disease cells may show different cell mechanics properties compared to the normal cells. The Si-Ti and W_2 nanoneedles can penetrate the cell without cell bursting and this could be important in single cell surgery in future to eliminate cell damage.
