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Cryogenic technologies for electron microscopy.

Number: 0064

Author(s) : URBAN P., BRAUNER T., KRUTIL V., HANZELKA P., HRUBANOVA K., KRZYZANEK V.

Summary

Modern electron cryomicroscopes (cryo-EMs) are widely used in structural biology and materials science, as samples at cryogenic temperatures exhibit significantly higher resistance to radiation damage from electron or ion beam exposure. Cryo-EM typically uses liquid nitrogen (LN2) with a normal boiling point of 77 K and liquid helium (LHe) with a boiling point of 4.2 K, for sample cooling. The simplest cryo-EM cooling systems use either bath cooling or flow cooling methods. We present an overview of our cryogenic technologies developed for both cooling methods, enabling the conversion of existing room-temperature EM to cryo-EM, including specific implementations of these conversions. These technologies include a nitrogen Dewar vessel with a cooled copper finger, a LHe/LN2 flow cryostat containing two heat exchangers, a low-loss LHe/LN2 vacuum-insulated transfer line with flow rate control, a thermally insulating pad with high mechanical stiffness, and a cryogenic sample holder equipped with ten spring-loaded electrical contacts.

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Pages: 7 p.

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Details

  • Original title: Cryogenic technologies for electron microscopy.
  • Record ID : 30033900
  • Languages: English
  • Subject: Technology
  • Source: Cryogenics 2025. Proceedings of the 18th IIR International Conference on Cryogenics, Prague, Czech Republic, 7-11 April 2025.
  • Publication date: 2025/04/07
  • DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18462/iir.cryo.2025.0064

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