A Technical Introduction to Transmission Electron Microscopy for Soft‐Matter: Imaging, Possibilities, Choices, and Technical Developments

Abstract

With a significant role in material sciences, physics, (soft matter) chemistry, and biology, the transmission electron microscope is one of the most widely applied structural analysis tool to date. It has the power to visualize almost everything from the micrometer to the angstrom scale. Technical developments keep opening doors to new fields of research by improving aspects such as sample preservation, detector performance, computational power, and workflow automation. For more than half a century, and continuing into the future, electron microscopy has been, and is, a cornerstone methodology in science. Herein, the technical considerations of imaging with electrons in terms of optics, technology, samples and processing, and targeted soft materials are summarized. Furthermore, recent advances and their potential for application to soft matter chemistry are highlighted.

Design of Non-Haemolytic Nanoemulsions for Intravenous Administration of Hydrophobic APIs

“…DLS analysis indicated that the average particle sizes of the NE 1 and NE 2 were 49.0 ± 2.3 nm and 118.6 ± 0.1 nm, respectively. TEM images revealed that all droplets have a spherical shape (Figure 4), and by keeping in mind the possibilities of the TEM technique [59], sizes appear in the same range as those determined by DLS. A monodisperse population with a defined size is required to develop safe, stable, and efficient nanoparticles [60].…”

From Photoinduced Supramolecular Polymerization to Responsive Organogels

“…To characterize the assembly morphology of SP- SG1 in toluene, a Volta phase plate was used with cryogenic electron transmission microscopy (cryo-TEM). 57 − 59 Because the contrast between carbon-based samples and carbon-based solvents is low, the standard method (without a Volta phase plate) of defocusing the image to generate phase contrast loses the resolution to see tiny assemblies in an organic solvent. With the phase plate, phase contrast is generated close to the focus, resulting in a better resolution.…”

Understanding nanoparticle endocytosis to improve targeting strategies in nanomedicine

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