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Cryo-electron Microscopy

Cryo-electron Microscopy

Conventional electron microscopy (EM) involves dehydration, fixation, and staining of biological samples, which distorts the native state of biological molecules and results in several artifacts. Also, the high-energy electron beam damages the sample and makes it difficult to obtain high-resolution images. These issues can be addressed using cryo-EM, which uses frozen samples and gentler electron beams. The technique was developed by Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank, and Richard Henderson, for...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 2, 2025

Author Spotlight: Enhancing CryoEM Resolution Using Graphene-Coated Grids

Author Spotlight: Enhancing CryoEM Resolution Using Graphene-Coated Grids

Published on: September 8, 2023

Developing Graphene Grids for Cryoelectron Microscopy.

Hongcheng Fan^1,2, Fei Sun^1,2,3,4

¹National Key Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences

|August 1, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Graphene grids improve cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) by overcoming sample preparation issues common with holey carbon grids. These advanced grids enhance high-resolution 3D structural analysis of biological macromolecules.

Keywords:

air–water interface beam-induced motion cryoelectron microscopy graphene grids grid production preferred orientation

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Last Updated: Sep 2, 2025

Author Spotlight: Enhancing CryoEM Resolution Using Graphene-Coated Grids

Author Spotlight: Enhancing CryoEM Resolution Using Graphene-Coated Grids

Published on: September 8, 2023

Author Spotlight: Enhancing CryoEM Sample Preparation Using Graphene Monolayer on Microscopy Grids

Author Spotlight: Enhancing CryoEM Sample Preparation Using Graphene Monolayer on Microscopy Grids

Published on: November 10, 2023

Preparation of High-Temperature Sample Grids for Cryo-EM

Preparation of High-Temperature Sample Grids for Cryo-EM

Published on: July 26, 2021

Area of Science:

Structural biology
Biophysics
Materials science

Background:

Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) single particle analysis is crucial for determining high-resolution 3D structures of biological macromolecules.
Conventional holey carbon grids often present challenges in sample preparation, hindering optimal imaging.
Issues include poor particle distribution, preferred orientation, sample degradation, thick ice, and beam-induced motion.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the advantages of graphene grids over traditional holey carbon grids for cryo-EM.
To discuss the functionalization, production, and contamination issues related to graphene support films.

Main Methods:

Review of recent advancements in graphene grid technology for cryo-EM sample preparation.
Analysis of challenges associated with conventional holey carbon grids.
Discussion of graphene material properties and their application in electron microscopy grids.

Main Results:

Graphene grids offer significant improvements in sample quality for cryo-EM by mitigating common preparation artifacts.
Functionalized graphene films and optimized production methods address previous limitations.
Understanding pristine graphene contamination is key to maximizing benefits.

Conclusions:

Graphene grids represent a substantial advancement for high-resolution cryo-EM structural studies.
They effectively address key bottlenecks encountered with conventional holey carbon grids.
Further development and application of graphene grids are expected to accelerate structural biology research.