Electron Microscope Suite
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) houses a suite of electron microscopes in the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL).
The JEOL 2010 HR TEM at PNNL is used to image metals, ceramics, minerals, nanostructured materials, as well as biological materials and tissues at atomic-bond-length resolution.
JEOL 2010 high-resolution transmission electron microscope (TEM) - The JEOL 2010 HR TEM uses a LaB6 filament as an electron source and is capable of imaging at a spatial resolution of 1.9 Å . It is coupled with Oxford EDS system for elemental analysis and Gatan EELS energy filtering system for elemental mapping. The instrument is used to image and analyze metals, ceramics, minerals, nanostructured materials, and biological samples at atomic-bond-length resolution. Researchers have used this instrument heavily for work related to spintronics, biogeochemisty research, environmental microbiology, atmospheric research, and catalysis. The JEOL 2010 HR TEM is equipped with a 1x1K multiscan CCD camera for digital image recording and software for image analysis.
FEI Tecnai T-12 TEM - The T-12 TEM is devoted to biological studies and has two, state-of-the-art capabilities: TEM tomography and a cryostage capacity. The method of three-dimensional reconstruction by TEM tomography is based on collecting projections along the specimen tilt axis and computational processing of the volume into a reconstructed object. The cryostage capability allows a unique view into a frozen-hydrated cell morphology immobilized in vitreous ice at cryo temperatures. This technique provides the most accurate information available about the architecture of cells and their components. Cryo-tomography combines these two methods, and it presents a great potential capability to be developed in our facility.
The FESEM has been used to examine Shewanella oneidensis membrane features and mineral association in response to various, simulated soil conditions.
LEO 982 ultrahigh-performance field-emission scanning electron microscope - The LEO 982 ultrahigh-performance FESEM is used for imaging and analyses of micro- or nano-scale objects with a resolution of 1 nm at 30 kV and 4 nm at 1.0 kV. This instrument is applied to several areas of research, including materials science, nanotechnology, geology, and biology. Its large specimen chamber is equipped with several detectors: a below-lens secondary electron detector, an in-lens secondary electron detector, a backscatter electron detector, two energy dispersive x-ray detectors, and a detector for electron backscatter diffraction. Digital images can be captured and stored at a variety of resolutions up to 2048 × 2048 pixels, and different signals can be mixed in an image (for example, secondary and backscattered signals). A Soft Imaging System ADDA II added to FESEM allows high-resolution images of up to 4000 × 4000 pixels to be recorded directly to a networked computer.
Bio TEM Sample Preparation - For preparation of biological TEM samples, PNNL's electron microscope facility houses a high-pressure freezer (HPF), an automatic freeze-substitution (AFS) system, a Vitrobot for rapid sample freeze, an ultra-microtome, and a cryo-microtome for sectioning frozen samples.
