Preparing elastomer blends for Transmission Electron Microscopy

摘要

The preparation of samples for transmission electron microscopy has often been referred to as more of an art form than a science. This definition has arisen because of difficulties, on the part of microscopists, in defining rules by which the necessary ultra-thin sections can be prepared. Increasingly sophisticated apparatus has alleviated some of the problems related to reproducibility but it has been observed that different operators still continue successfully to use different conditions to achieve the same results. Elastomers are considered by many to be one of the most difficult groups of materials to prepare for electron microscopy. This paper describes some of the techniques involved in sectioning such materials and some of the special conditions that can be applied to improve the chances of success. Many people working in this field will have come from a biological background and so consideration is made of the differences in preparation and examination between biological materials and elastomers. Examples of micrographs taken of sectioned elastomer blends are given.