Electron microscopy

The facilty for electron microscopy is hosted by the Cryo-EM group and is devoted to the development and application of technologies for (cryo) specimen preparation, 3D (cryo) electron microscopy data collection, as well as image analysis for cell biology and material sciences applications. The facility offers the tools and technical expertise for training beginners and advanced users in electron microscopy on the available electron microscopes. The lab operates 6 electron microscopes (2 scanning and 4 transmission electron microscopes) and the ancillary equipment needed for preparation of specimens (either from material sciences, geology, medicine or biology) for EM and other microscopy. Users of the facility can opt for full technical services in microscopy so that they are provided with whatever micrographs and analyses they want for given specimens, or they can work independently on the facility’s microscopes, specimen-preparation equipment, and computer facilities after following appropriate training by the facility staff.

Links with other infrastructures

The facility has links with EU ESFRI project Instruct (in which the Bijvoet Center, together with the NKI and Leiden University forms the Dutch access node), the EU ESFRI project Euro-Bioimaging, the EU ESFRI project EPOS (in which UU-Geosciences plays a leading role), the Top Institute for analytical sciences COAST, the STW Perspectief project Microscopy Valley and the Netherlands Centre for Electron Nanoscopy (NeCEN) in Leiden.

Available technologies

The infrastructure includes several traditional Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEMs) and a Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM), both with a full range of attachments such as STEM, EDX and energy-filtering. In addition it houses a specialised Focussed Ion Beam-SEM and an Integrated Light Electron Microscope (ILEM).The group houses the equipment to prepare specimen with preservation of ultrastructure (including cryo-fixation and freeze-substitution of samples), immunolabeling, serial-sectioning and high-resolution electron tomography and Slice and View to study three dimensional structure of cells, tissues and other materials.

For more information, procedures for access to the facility and for contact details, please visit the website of the Electron Microscopy Centre.