Chapter 10 - Future Prospects

Abstract

The use of atomic force microscopy (AFM) has made substantial contributions to understanding and improving processes across a wide range of engineering. The literature on such applications is very extensive, so the aim of this study is on some key examples. The importance of AFM lies in its capability of providing a better understanding of materials' structure, surface characteristics, and the interactive forces at the meso and nanoscale level. This greatly helps in understanding large-scale engineering processes, especially as materials are increasingly being designed down to the submicrometer level. AFM, with its proven capability for nanoscale measurements of bimolecular interactions, and physical and mechanical properties of materials, is expected to continue to make invaluable contributions to cell biology and biotechnology fields. The integration of AFM and optical techniques for simultaneous interrogation of biochemical functionalities with physical/mechanical properties of a cell offers huge benefits and is likely to attract increasing research efforts. Most importantly, the future prospects of all applications of AFM in process engineering will be greatly enhanced by increased collaboration between engineers, physical scientists, biological scientists, mathematicians, and instrument manufacturers.