Application of high-speed atomic force microscopy in visualizing the dynamics of synthetic polymers

High-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) is a technique that enables real-time imaging of nanoscale phenomena in solution. It was originally developed to visualize biomolecules, whose dynamics in solution significantly affect the manifestation of their functions, and has contributed to the understanding of molecular mechanisms based on the observation of single-molecule dynamics of proteins. In recent years, its application has broadened to include not only biomolecules, but also the structural dynamics of supramolecular assemblies that associate and dissociate in solution, as well as the evaluation of synthetic molecules such as polymer gels that swell in solution. In this paper, we review some of our recent studies on the application of HS-AFM to supramolecular polymers and hydrogel particles.