Imaging the surface details of red blood cells with atomic force microscopy

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used in situ to study the topography and mechanical properties of red blood cells. When imaging the surface of the blood cells in topographic mode, the underlying cytoskeleton of the cell could be observed. This is a result of the different compressibility of the cell, depending on whether the underlying cytoskeleton is under the tip, which would be relatively hard, or just the cell membrane, which would be soft. The modulation technique confirms that the places where the cytoskeleton is directly underneath the membrane are raised as a result of the harder character and therefore the smaller tip indentation. The results obtained for the normal doughnut‐shaped and swollen cells have been compared.