Imaging bio-electro-mechanics witli scanning probe microscopy: Unveiling nature's nanoscale form and function

Since the discovery in the late eighteenth century of electrically induced mechanical response in muscle tissue, coupling between electrical and mechanical phenomena has been shown to be a ubiquitous feature of biological systems. Here, we measure the local electromechanical properties of biological samples using piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). This technique is combined with atomic force acoustic microscopy (AFAM) for simultaneous mapping the topography, structure, and electro-mechanical behavior of biological systems down to nanometer scales. We demonstrate the capability of these scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques to visualize as of yet unseen spatial variations in the composition and structure of calcified tissues, such as antlers, with 5 nm spatial resolution as well as local mechanical properties variation in a butterfly wing.