An antiferritin antibody was either, (a) passively adsorbed to microwells or (b) biotinylated and immobilised to streptavidin coated microwells. Scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) imaging of these well surfaces coated with a platinum (95%) carbon (5%) coating (Pt/C) conductive layer showed a randomly oriented array of antibodies for passive adsorption whereas for biotin-streptavidin immobilisation there was a more uniform and even distribution of antibodies on the well surface. On further incubation with ferritin STM imaging showed that for passive adsorption approximately 5% of the surface was functional, while for the biotinylated antibody it was greater than 60%. The images presented in this paper show graphically the loss of functionality that occurs using passive adsorption and, conversely, the preservation of antibody functionality using the biotin-streptavidin linkage for antibody immobilisation. These results correlate well with the work of others in the field.