Volume 20, Issue 3 (May 2006)

Phase contrast, one of the most commonly used contrasting techniques in light microscopy, has crucial drawbacks when used to image cells in small culture wells due to the formation of a meniscus at the air-water interface. In this study we demonstrate how it is possible to perform phase contrast microscopy on living cells in volumes of less than 30 μl...

With the advent of the nanotechnology era, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) is now a critical tool for acquiring atomic-resolution images. However, preparing HRTEM specimens with conventional approaches has been time consuming and cumbersome...

The potential of Raman and Rayleigh mapping for the characterization of (nano)materials is investigated. It is shown that deconvolution of the images by the illuminating spot shape allows the improvement of the X-Y resolution down to the diffraction limit (λ/2)...

We describe some of the negative staining procedures that are currently available for the TEM study of biological and physical science samples. Some emphasis is placed upon the use of ammonium molybdate as a negative stain...

A brief review of atom-probe tomography is provided. The rationale, implementation, and benefits of the latest instrumental developments in the field are described. Parameters such as specimen geometry, mass resolution, field of view, and data collection rate are discussed...