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Updated: Jul 10, 2025

Preparation and Observation of Thick Biological Samples by Scanning Transmission Electron Tomography
Published on: March 12, 2017
Sample thickness affects contrast and measured shape in TEM images and in electron tomograms
Misa Hayashida1, Jun Yamasaki2, Marek Malac3
1NRC-NANO, National Research Council, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2M9, Canada.
Abstract:
We investigated the effect of nanoparticle (NP) image broadening and its contrast change dependence on a support matrix thickness in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). We measured the effect of NP size and atomic number on its image broadening. Based on the experimental TEM images we generated tomograms of NPs on four types of support matrix. The measured shape aspect ratio of the NPs in such tomograms depends on the geometry of the support matrix. For example, the aspect ratio of 6 nm NP placed on a thin film with window-frame support is 1.14, while the aspect ratio of 6 nm NP on a rod-shaped support with 910 nm diameter is 1.67 in a tomogram.
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