Science Lab

Learn. Share. Contribute. The knowledge portal of Leica Microsystems. Find scientific research and teaching material on the subject of microscopy. The portal supports beginners, experienced practitioners and scientists alike in their everyday work and experiments. Explore interactive tutorials and application notes, discover the basics of microscopy as well as high-end technologies. Become part of the Science Lab community and share your expertise.

EM Sample Preparation Coating, Etching and Fracturing

Sample Preparation for EM: A Practical Guide to Coating and Freeze-Fracturing

From coatings done in a low-vacuum sputter coating machine at room-temperature to those done in high-vacuum and even at cryogenic temperatures, Leica coating solutions cover a large range of needs.…

Studying the Microstructure of Natural Polymers in Fine Detail

The potential of cryogenic broad ion beam milling used in combination with scanning electron microscopy (cryo-BIB-SEM) for imaging and analyzing the microstructure of cryogenically stabilized soft…

Expert Knowledge on High Pressure Freezing and Freeze Fracturing in the Cryo SEM Workflow

Get an insight in the working methods of the laboratory and learn about the advantages of Cryo SEM investigation in EM Sample Preparation. Find out how high pressure freezing, freeze fracturing and…

Each Atom Counts: Protect Your Samples Prior to FIB Processing

Application Note for Leica EM ACE600 - Focused ion beam (FIB) technology has become an indispensable tool for site-specific TEM sample preparation. It allows to extract electron transparent specimens…

Bacteria Protocol - Critical Point Drying of E. coli for SEM

Application Note for Leica EM CPD300 - Critical point drying of E. coli with subsequent platinum / palladium coating and SEM analysis. Sample was inserted into a filter disc (Pore size: 16 - 40 μm)…

Human Blood Cells Protocol

Application Note for Leica EM CPD300 - Life Science Research. Species: Human (Homo sapiens) Critical point drying of human blood with subsequent platinum / palladium coating and SEM analysis.

Improvement of Metallic Thin Films for HR-SEM by Using DC Magnetron Sputter Coater

Preparation techniques, like several kinds of coating methods play an important role for high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM). Nonconductive sample like biological and synthetic…

Brief Introduction to Freeze Fracture and Etching

Freeze fracture describes the technique of breaking a frozen specimen to reveal internal structures. Freeze etching is the sublimation of surface ice under vacuum to reveal details of the fractured…

Brief Introduction to Coating Technology for Electron Microscopy

Coating of samples is required in the field of electron microscopy to enable or improve the imaging of samples. Creating a conductive layer of metal on the sample inhibits charging, reduces thermal…