WS 2
Materials meets life science microscopy – From critical preparation to advanced microscopy of sensitive/reactive specimens

Beam sensitive materials present significant challenges in both sample preparation and the actual microscopy using our electron and ion beam instruments. However, damage is not a straight forward and uniform process: Proteins degrade differently under high-energy electron exposure than battery materials do when exposed to air during sample preparation, handling and transfer.

Additionally, interactions between the electron beam and residual hydrocarbons in the vacuum chamber can lead to undesired carbon contamination in the area being analyzed. At the same time, similar critical preparation techniques – such as ultramicrotome sectioning or ion beam milling – are used across different materials, but with necessary adoptions to suit each specific material.

This workshop will give an overview of different preparation techniques, sample transfer approaches, and strategies to minimize beam damage, offering insights into data collection across various scientific fields. These will cover biomedical samples and polymers, including their cryo-preparation and microscopy, as well as inert gas workflows for handling sensitive material samples. We will discuss various types of damage, including well-known degradation processes and chemical reactions, as well as possible ways to prevent or minimize them.

This workshop aims to bring together electron microscopists from materials and life sciences to learn from each other, exchange knowledge, share best practices, and explore new approaches for studying complex next-generation materials and their intricate microscopy, such as in-situ experiments.