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.

Fast, High-quality Vitrification with the EM ICE High Pressure Freezer

The EM ICE High Pressure Freezer was developed with a unique freezing principle and uses only a single pressurization and cooling liquid: liquified nitrogen (LN2). This design enables three major…

Investigating Synapses in Brain Slices with Enhanced Functional Electron Microscopy

A fundamental question of neuroscience is: what is the relationship between structural and functional properties of synapses? Over the last few decades, electrophysiology has shed light on synaptic…

Ion Beam Milling Guide: Enhancing Surface Quality for High-Resolution Imaging and Analysis

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…

Essential Guide 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…

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.…

Advancing Cell Biology with Cryo-Correlative Microscopy

Correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) advances biological discoveries by merging different microscopes and imaging modalities to study systems in 4D. Combining fluorescence microscopy with…

High-pressure freezing: Revealing functional mechanisms of synaptic transmission

Learn more about applying optogenetic stimulation in the EM ICE and how this technology has the potential to reveal structural and functional mechanisms of synaptic transmission. Get a detailed…

Workflows and Instrumentation for Cryo-electron Microscopy

Cryo-electron microscopy is an increasingly popular modality to study the structures of macromolecular complexes and has enabled numerous new insights in cell biology. In recent years, cryo-electron…

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…