Scientific Achievement
A novel ultra-flat supporting grid enabled 1.5 Å resolution imaging of crystalline soft specimens at high tilt angle.
Significance and Impact
Tilting specimens in the electron microscope is necessary for locating atoms in 3D imaging – in the absence of this grid, such experiments were impossible due to cryo-crinkling of specimen and beam-induced motion.
Research Details
- Built a novel holey gold/molybdenum grid for high-resolution cryo-EM data collection.
- Minimized crinkling of quenched soft specimens due to the expansion of holes after cooling
- Retrieved atomic-scale information of the membranes, up to 1.5 Å , at 45o tilt both parallel and perpendicular to the tilt axis.
