Sample Preparation
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Introduction to Ion Beam Etching with the EM TIC 3X
In this article you can learn how to optimize the preparation quality of your samples by using the ion beam etching method with the EM TIC 3X ion beam milling machine. A short introduction of the…Read article
Introduction to Ultramicrotomy
When studying samples, to visualize their fine structure with nanometer scale resolution, most often electron microscopy is used. There are 2 types: scanning electron microscopy (SEM) which images the…Read article
The Guide to STED Sample Preparation
This guide is intended to help users optimize sample preparation for stimulated emission depletion (STED) nanoscopy, specifically when using the TCS SP8 STED 3X nanoscope from Leica Microsystems. It…Read article
Using Mounting Frames for DLS Sample Preparation
Sample handling is an important topic in the context of Light Sheet Microscopy. The TCS SP8 DLS integrates Light Sheet technology into an inverted confocal platform and can hence make use of general…Read article
Using a Rotation Device for DLS Sample Mounting
The TCS SP8 DLS from Leica Microsystems is an innovative concept to integrate the Light Sheet Microscopy technology into the confocal microscope. Due to its unique optical architecture samples can be…Read articleHow to do a Proper Cell Culture Quick Check
In order to successfully work with mammalian cell lines, they must be grown under controlled conditions and require their own specific growth medium. In addition, to guarantee consistency their growth…Read article
Immersion Freezing for Cryo-Transmission Electron Microscopy: Fundamentals
The high vacuum required in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) greatly impairs the ability to study specimens naturally occurring in an aqueous phase: exposing "wet" specimens to a pressure…Read article
Video Tutorials: Filling and Assembling of Different Carriers for High-Pressure Freezing
High pressure freezing (HPF) is a cryo-fixation method primarily for biological samples, but also for a variety of non-biological materials. It is a technique that yields optimal preservation in many…Read article
How to Clean a Coater
Coating of samples is required in the field of electron microscopy to enable or improve the imaging of samples. Compared to the traditional coater design, all parts of a Leica EM ACE Coater can be…Read article
Brief Introduction to Specimen Trimming
Before ultrathin sectioning a sample with an ultramicrotome it has to be pre-prepared. For this pre-preparation, special attention must be paid to the sample size (size of the section), location of…Read article
Sample Preparation for GSDIM Localization Microscopy – Protocols and Tips
The widefield super-resolution technique GSDIM (Ground State Depletion followed by individual molecule return) is a localization microscopy technique that is capable of resolving details as small as…Read article
Brief Introduction to Freeze Substitution
Freeze-substitution is a process of dehydration, performed at temperatures low enough to avoid the formation of ice crystals and to circumvent the damaging effects observed after ambient-temperature…Read article
Video: How to Achieve Fast Precise Cutting Lines in Laser Microdissection
This video explains the laser beam deflection principle of Leica Microsystems‘ laser microdissection systems (Leica LMD). The laser, the beam expander, motorized attenuator, motorized iris diaphragm…Read article
Brief Introduction to Contrasting for EM Sample Preparation
Since the contrast in the electron microscope depends primarily on the differences in the electron density of the organic molecules in the cell, the efficiency of a stain is determined by the atomic…Read article
Brief Introduction to Glass Knifemaking for Electron and Light Microscope Applications
Glass knives are used in an ultramicrotome to cut ultrathin slices of samples for electron and light microscope applications. For resin and for cryo sections (Tokuyasu samples) the knife edge must be…Read article