0387270 - ÚPT 2013 RIV US eng C - Conference Paper (international conference)
Tacke, S. - Krzyžánek, Vladislav - Klingauf, J.
A new cryo high-vacuum transfer system for STEM and TEM.
EMC 2012. Proceedings of the 15th European Microscopy Congress. Manchester: The Royal Microscopical Society, 2012, s. 445-446. ISBN 978-0-9502463-7-6.
[EMC 2012. European Microscopy Congress /15./. Manchester (US), 16.09.2012-21.09.2012]
Institutional support: RVO:68081731
Keywords : cryo high-vacuum shuttle * cryo-preparation * cryo-EM
Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering

Every microscopist pursues the aim of examining their specimen in the native state. In the case of hydrated samples like filaments, cells, or labile systems like micelles, vesicles, lamellae and nano capsules, the embedding in amorphous ice is the means of choice, Consequently, great efforts are being put into the optimization of cryo-preparation methods in order to utilize the full technical possibilities of techniques like cryo-electron tomography (CET) or quantitative scanning electron microscopy (q-STEM). Especially in the case of quantitative measurements, like the determination of mass or mass-thickness profiles, particular requirements are imposed on the purity of the specimen, However, prerequisites for high resolution investigations, e.g. cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) of vitreous sections, are the avoidance of ice crystal damage by devitrification and the prevention of contamination of the frozen hydrated specimen during the entire handling. Therefore, the temperature of the sample must be kept below the phase change temperature of vitreous ice (<138 °K) and should be transferred in a high-vacuum environment to the electron microscope. In the past several concepts were followed to avoid contamination and recrystallisation and they are now commercially available. Nevertheless, some improvements are still desirable, owing to miscellaneous disadvantages of the existing systems either by not offering a high-vacuum environment or do not allow a high throughput of specimens per working day. To the best of our knowledge, a cryo high-vacuum transfer system for (scanning) transmission electron microscopes (STEM and TEM accordingly), comparable to the EM VCT 100 (Leica Microsystems Inc.), has not yet been invented.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0216443