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On holey polymer grids by condensation/dip-coating/draining/drying

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2020

Y. Zheng
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science and Center for Interfacial Engineering, University of Minnesota, 421 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455
X. Li
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science and Center for Interfacial Engineering, University of Minnesota, 421 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455
P. K. Vinson
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science and Center for Interfacial Engineering, University of Minnesota, 421 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455
W. Suszynski
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science and Center for Interfacial Engineering, University of Minnesota, 421 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455
H. T. Davis
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science and Center for Interfacial Engineering, University of Minnesota, 421 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455
L. E. Scriven
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science and Center for Interfacial Engineering, University of Minnesota, 421 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455
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Extract

Carbon-coated holey polymer film (HPF), or ‘holey carbon grid’ used to support fragile samples, is a crucial part of Cryo-TEM technique. A film with high porosity and uniform hole size as well as mechanical strength is needed. Efforts to develop a reliable preparation method date back to the 1950s. Today's favorite by far for routine application employs condensation, dip-coating, drainage and drying.it is not difficult, it affords control of hole size, and its yield is comparatively good. In this study, the mechanisms of hole generation and film formation were uncovered by means of in situ microscopy at medium working distance, super-VHS video recording and a high-speed motion analyzer, SEM and TEM.

Clean microscope slides were treated with Amine 105 (Kao-Atlas Co. Japan) to make the surface hydrophobic. A slide was then immersed in liquid nitrogen and exposed for 3 to 6 seconds to air with relative humidity of 30 to 60%.

Type
Technologists’ Forum: Special Topics and Symposium
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 1997

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References

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