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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
10:54
Cryo-electron Microscopy Specimen Preparation By Means Of a Focused Ion Beam
Published on: July 26, 2014
Controlled beams of cryo-cooled protein-like nanoparticles
Jingxuan He1,2,3, Karol Długołęcki1, Hubertus Bromberger1
1Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany.
The Review of Scientific Instruments
|July 17, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed a new setup to create controlled beams of nanoparticles, including proteins. This method is crucial for advanced imaging and nanoscience applications.
Area of Science:
- Nanoscience
- Biophysics
- Physical Chemistry
Background:
- Generating stable, dense nanoparticle beams is challenging.
- Existing methods struggle with small, low-density particles like proteins.
- Controlled delivery is essential for advanced imaging techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel cryogenic buffer-gas-cell-aerodynamic-lens-stack setup.
- To enable the generation of shock-frozen, dense, and controllable nanoparticle beams.
- To characterize the generated beams for applications in nanoscience and imaging.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a cryogenic buffer-gas-cell-aerodynamic-lens-stack.
- Employed strong-field ionization with electron imaging and counting.
- Used ion time-of-flight spectrometry for beam characterization.
Main Results:
- Successfully generated controllable beams of various nanoparticles, including isolated proteins.
- Achieved unambiguous detection and full reconstruction of protein-sized nanoparticles.
- Determined particle flux and number density of the generated beams.
Conclusions:
- The developed setup provides a robust method for nanoparticle beam generation.
- This approach is valuable for sample preparation and delivery in single-particle diffractive imaging and cryo-microscopy.
- Enables new possibilities in low-temperature nanoscience research.
