Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2025
08:04
Preparation and Observation of Thick Biological Samples by Scanning Transmission Electron Tomography
Published on: March 12, 2017
9.3K
Event-responsive scanning transmission electron microscopy
Jonathan J P Peters1,2,3, Bryan W Reed4, Yu Jimbo5
1Advanced Microscopy Laboratory, CRANN, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|August 1, 2024
Summary
This study introduces an event-responsive electron microscopy technique that enhances information retrieval from samples. By adjusting electron dose based on real-time events, it minimizes damage to beam-sensitive materials.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Microscopy
- Physics
Background:
- High-energy electrons in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) cause sample damage, limiting imaging capabilities.
- Current TEM methods often deliver a fixed electron dose, potentially exceeding optimal levels for certain pixels or samples.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an event-responsive imaging approach for electron microscopy.
- To enhance information acquisition per electron and reduce overall radiation dose.
- To demonstrate applicability to beam-sensitive materials.
Main Methods:
- Implemented an event-responsive imaging strategy by measuring time to reach an electron count threshold per pixel.
- Dynamically blanked the electron beam in response to detected events.
- Apportioned electron dose adaptively to achieve a target signal-to-noise ratio.
Main Results:
- The event-responsive approach yields more information per electron compared to conventional fixed-dose methods.
- Reduced overall electron dose is required to achieve a desired signal-to-noise ratio.
- Successfully imaged beam-sensitive biological tissue and zeolite structures.
Conclusions:
- Event-responsive electron microscopy offers a dose-efficient imaging solution.
- This method significantly minimizes radiation damage, particularly for delicate samples.
- The technique is broadly applicable to various beam-sensitive materials in microscopy.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:07Scanning Electron Microscopy
4.2K
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...
Fundamental Principles
Accelerated...
4.2K
01:15Transmission Electron Microscopy
5.4K
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...
5.4K
01:07Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction
2.4K
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...
Electron Tomography
Electron tomography can be performed either in TEM or STEM (scanning transmission...
2.4K
01:22Overview of Microscopy Techniques
9.9K
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...
9.9K
01:25Overview of Electron Microscopy
8.7K
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.
8.7K
01:20Preparation of Samples for Electron Microscopy
5.4K
To be visualized by an electron microscope, either transmission or scanning, biological samples need to be fixed (stabilized) so the electron beam does not destroy them and dried thoroughly (desiccated/dehydrated) so the vacuum does not affect them. Fixation needs to be done as quickly as possible because the sample properties will start changing as soon as it is removed from its natural environment. For example, in a tissue sample, the oxygen levels begin decreasing, causing an altered...
5.4K