Table 1.

Cantilever types used in SCFS studies of bacterial adhesion

Cantilever	Advantages	Disadvantages	References
Multiple bacteria
Tipless	offers a large contact area simple functionalization and subsequent immobilization of cells	Indeterminate number of attached cells may interact with the surface	35
Plateau tip	guarantees a defined contact area between tip and sample	large contact area allows variability in the number of bacteria that can come into contact with the substrate surface	25, 36
Single bacteria
Tipless	single cell attachment possible	requires precise handling by a well‐trained operator	36
Plateau tip	choosing a plateau area corresponding to the size of the cell enables single cell selection	focused ion beam bombardment required for the manufacture of each individual tip requires precise handling by a well‐trained operator	37
Pyramidal tip (spherical or sharp)	established method many published protocols describing the procedure	a sharp tip may perforate or otherwise damage the cell during force measurements	[26, 27, 28, 38]
tipless, with attached single bead which is then loaded with one cell		placement of cells at the apex of the tip or the topmost part of the bead is difficult requires precise handling by a well‐trained operator