High resolution imaging. Biomolecular forces lie between a few piconewtons (pN), as generated, for example, by myosin, and 300 pN, the force required to unfold a protein 11,12,13.It is important ...

Each layer is a single crystal, with the whole kaboodle being held together by van der Waals force -- a weak, intramolecular force (as opposed to more conventional, chemical covalent bonds).