Instrument details

LaB6 filament
120 kV down to 40kV acceleration voltage
High resolution (HR) mode imaging with 0.27 nm (lattice) at 120 kV, 0.44 nm at 60 kV, and 0.82 nm at 40 kV
Suitable for RT imaging and for cryo-TEM of plunge frozen samples
Gatan cryo transfer holders for cryo-TEM.
Gatan OneView camera
Location: Silverman Hall B530A
JEOL 1400 Flash manual available in NUCore under the Docs tab

Hitachi-HD2300A

LaB6 or W filament operated at 120 kV.
Designed for conventional ultrastructure examinations as well as for cryo-TEM.
The 1230 is equipped with a Hamamatsu ORCA side-mounted camera and a Gatan Orius 831 bottom-mounted CCD camera.
Gatan Cryo-TEM holder and transfer system.
Location: Hogan, 5-126.

Cold source Field Emission SEM
Leica cryo stage with VCT100 transfer system and suite of cryogenic preparation equipment.
Oxford INCA EDS System.
Location: Technology Institute, AG 83.
For cryo-SEM contact BioCryo
Manual for the Hitachi S4800-II is available in NUCore in the Docs tab

High-pressure freezing is the method of choice for cryofixation of pristine samples with thickness of up to 400 µm without chemical fixation and drying steps.
The formation and growth of ice crystals is suppressed by applying 2100 bar high pressure to the sample and cryo immobilization in less than 10 msec.
Once the sample is high pressure frozen, it can be processed for cryoSEM, cryoTEM, freeze substitution, and other applications.
Available is the flat carrier system and the tube system.
Location: Hogan, 5-150.

Fully automated vitrification robot for plunge-freezing of aqueous sample suspensions.
All essential vitrification parameters, such as temperature, relative humidity, the pressure and quantity of blottings, and drain time can be programmed for each individual application and set for automatic retrieval.
Operating parameters: Working temperature 4 – 60°C (at an ambient temperature range between 18 – 25°C) Peltier controlled heating/cooling Relative humidity ambient humidity – 100% (no condensation at an RH < 85%) Ultrasonic controlled humidification.
Location: the Mark IV is in Hogan 5-150, the Mark III is in Technology Institute, AG 76
Vitrobot Manual is avaiable in NUCore in Docs tab

Freeze substitution and progressive lowering of temperature (PLT) techniques along with allowing low temperature embedding and polymerization of resins.
LED illumination for easy viewing and working within the chamber.
The automatic reagent handling system EM FSP dispenses and automatically dilutes reagents from 100% stock containers.
“Deep Freeze” mode allows sample transfer at temperatures below -140°C
Fume exhaust system for operator safety
Efficient UV polymerization with built-in LED UV lamp.
Up to 20 samples can be processed automatically per run.
Location: Hogan, 5-150.

The Leica UC7/FC7 is a state-of-the art Cryo-Ultramicrotome capable of sectioning samples at ambient temperature down to temperatures as low as -180 C.
The FC7 cryo attachment is equipped with an anti-static device and a micromanipulator to assist the user to transfer delicate cryogenic thin sections to the EM grid.
We use diamond knives, or glass knives fabricated with our Leica KM3 Knife Maker for sectioning.
It can be used for sectioning samples at liquid nitrogen temperatures, e.g. high-pressure frozen biological specimens or soft matter samples, e.g. polymers and hydrogels, for imaging with cryo-TEM and cruo-SEM.
The thickness of sections can be adjusted from a few nanometers to up to 15 micrometers.
Superior optics and illumination assist in challenging ultramicrotomy techniques such as serial sectioning or en face sectioning of cell monolayers.
Location: Silverman Hall, B545.
Leica UC7/FC7 Cryo-Ultramicrotome Manual is available in NUCore in Docs tab

A high vacuum film deposition system for cryo-SEM and cryo S/TEM applications.
It is used for freeze-fracture and sublimation of ice (etching) at controlled temperatures.
Provides very fine coating of frozen samples at high vacuum (10-6 mbar range) with e-beam metal/carbon (Pt/C), and with carbon evaporation.
Location: Technology Institute, AG 76

Provides highest quality specimen preparation.
It accelerates sample processing: specimens can be resin embedded in one-tenth the normal time, with significantly less extraction.
The manual for the PELCO Processor is available in NUCore in Docs tab
Location: Hogan 5-150.

This CPD is the standard device for critical point drying biologica; and soft matter samples (e.g. cells, tissues, hydrogels) for SEM and STEM.
By replacing solvents with liquid CO2 and then drying the sample above the critical point of CO2, phase boundaries between the liquid- and gaseous phases of CO2 are omitted
The samples dry without structural damages caused by boundary forces between different phases.
Location: Hogan Hall 5-150
Tousimis Critical point Dryer Manual is available in NUCore in Docs tab

The VT1200 S is a fully automatic microtome with vibrating blade.
It can be operated in automatic as well as in semiautomatic sectioning mode.
The specimen size can be up to 30 x 40 mm (in automatic mode).
The section thickness can be set in 1 µm increments to maximally 1000 µm (=1mm).
Several other parameters can be adjusted: sectioning speed, knife amplitude and cutting range.
The buffer chamber can be cooled with the attached chiller.
Ideal for making thin slices of soft samples (tissues, hydrogels, etc.) before further processing (e.g. high-pressure freezing, plunge freezing, immunolabeling).
Manual for the VT1200 is available in NUCore in Docs tab
Location: Hogan Hall 5-155

The ASP-1000 automates the full range of electron microscopy sample preparation; fully programmable uses both mPrep/s and mPrep/g capsules to perform an unlimited range of lab preparation tasks, including:

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