Sample Preparation for Electron Microscopy

Imaging a biological specimen with an electron microscope is not a trivial task, mostly because of the intrinsic nature of the electron/matter interactions that are responsible for the image formation. In order to be imaged, the specimen has to be placed inside a high vacuum, and should be very thin. For these reasons, biological specimens can hardly be imaged in their native state and need to be processed. Therefore, sample preparation is a crucial step and represents the essential, fundamental activity in an electron microscopy facility.