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Related Concept Videos

Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction01:07

Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) can be used to determine the 3D structure of biological samples with the help of techniques such as electron microscope tomography and single-particle reconstruction. While single-particle reconstruction can examine macromolecules and macromolecular complexes in vitro conditions only, tomography permits the study of cell components or small cells in vivo.
Electron Tomography
Electron tomography can be performed either in TEM or STEM (scanning transmission...
Overview of Electron Microscopy01:25

Overview of Electron Microscopy

The wavelengths of visible light ultimately limit the maximum theoretical resolution of images created by light microscopes. Most light microscopes can only magnify 1000X, and a few can magnify up to 1500X. Electrons, like electromagnetic radiation, can behave like waves, but with wavelengths of 0.005 nm, they produce significantly greater resolution up to 0.05 nm as compared to 500 nm for visible light. An electron microscope (EM) can create a sharp image that is magnified up to 2,000,000X.
Transmission Electron Microscopy01:15

Transmission Electron Microscopy

In 1931, physicist Ernst Ruska—building on the idea that magnetic fields can direct an electron beam just as lenses can direct a beam of light in an optical microscope—developed the first prototype of the electron microscope. This development led to the development of the field of electron microscopy. In the transmission electron microscope (TEM), electrons are produced by a hot tungsten element and accelerated by a potential difference in an electron gun, which gives them up to 400 keV in...
Scanning Electron Microscopy01:07

Scanning Electron Microscopy

A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is used to study the surface features of a sample by using an electron beam that scans the sample surface in a two-dimensional manner. Typically, areas between ~1 centimeter to 5 micrometers in width can be imaged. SEM can be used to image bacteria, viruses, tissues as well as larger samples like insects. Conventional SEM gives a magnification ranging from 20X to 30,000X and spatial resolution of 50 to 100 nanometers.
Fundamental Principles
Accelerated...
Overview of Microscopy Techniques01:22

Overview of Microscopy Techniques

The early pioneers of microscopy opened a window into the invisible world of microorganisms. In 1830, Joseph Jackson Lister created an essentially modern light microscope. The 20th century saw the development of microscopes that leveraged nonvisible light, such as fluorescence microscopy that uses an ultraviolet light source and electron microscopy that uses short-wavelength electron beams. These advances significantly improved magnification, image resolution, and contrast. By comparison, the...

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Electron tomography on micrometer-thick specimens with nanometer resolution.

J Loos1, E Sourty, K Lu

  • 1Laboratory of Materials and Interface Chemistry, Soft-Matter CryoTEM Research Unit, and Laboratory of Polymer Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. j.loos@tue.nl

Nano Letters
|March 14, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) tomography enables 3D nanoscale imaging of micrometer-thick specimens. This breakthrough expands the applicability of high-resolution 3D analysis for materials research and nanotechnology applications.

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Last Updated: Jun 24, 2026

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Preparation and Observation of Thick Biological Samples by Scanning Transmission Electron Tomography
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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Nanotechnology
  • Microscopy

Background:

  • Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) offers atomic-scale resolution but is limited to thin specimens for 3D tomography.
  • Existing TEM tomography methods restrict 3D analysis to specimens a few hundred nanometers thick.
  • This limitation hinders the 3D characterization of larger or thicker materials.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) tomography approach for 3D nanoscale imaging of ultrathick specimens.
  • To overcome the thickness limitations of conventional TEM tomography.
  • To demonstrate the versatility of the new method for materials research.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) tomography.
  • Employed a conventional 300 kV transmission electron microscope.
  • Applied the technique to ultrathick specimens (several micrometers).

Main Results:

  • Achieved 3D resolution down to a few nanometers for micrometer-thick specimens.
  • Demonstrated the capability to analyze thicker samples than previously possible with TEM tomography.
  • Validated the method's effectiveness for materials research and nanotechnology.

Conclusions:

  • The developed STEM tomography approach significantly extends the 3D nanoscale imaging capability to much thicker specimens.
  • This advancement opens new avenues for detailed structural analysis in materials science and nanotechnology.
  • The technique offers a versatile tool for researchers working with complex, bulk materials.